Forever Dreaming of What Might Be
by Cloud-1-3-5 and Ame Emi Dai
Summary: [Part 2 of Forbidden Love series] After losing that which was most precious to him, Yami's life seems worthless. However, sometimes things aren't quite what they seem... Yaoi, humour, angst, romance, drama, action, character death. YY x Y, B x M.
1. Leaving the past is the hardest to do

IT'S HERE!!!!  
  
That's right, this is the much-anticpated sequel to Forbidden Love! It is now officially published!  
Am I allowed to say 'much-anticipated'? Of course I am - I'm the one who's had fans screaming at me to hurry up with it!  
  
This can be taken as a stand-alone fic, or you can go read 'The Forbidden Love of a Pharaoh' (the prequel) so that you know more about what's going on. Entirely your call!  
  
In response to some of my reviewers..  
  
One Last Breath: This is high on my update list. I'm currently re-working the ending, but after that I'll get back on to it! Thankyou everyone who yelled at me for not updating *nods* Sometimes we need a little kick, ne?  
Ryou's First Kiss: I would like to continue this one, but - as one fan said - if I do, it'll lose some of the cuteness that only one-shots can have. If I do update (which I am keen on) then they'll be sporadic. Also, don't expect a long fic or much of a storyline, since it wasn't originally intended to be anything more than a one-shot!  
First Date: Ah yes, my first fluffy fic, with the exception of Be Mine... this one suddenly got popular recently! And yes, I know, 6 months is a VERY long 'temporarily discontinued' - ideas for that fic are also currently in the works, so an update looks likely! Fear not, oh fans of fluff-without-tragedy, it shall start up! Even now I just had a new idea jump into my head - so things are looking good!  
  
On top of all that, I currently have 17 ideas stuck on my bedroom wall... so now would be a good time to slap the ol' Author Alerts on if you haven't already!  
  
Universal Disclaimer: Eee... I always wanted to do this, just once. Okay, don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any affiliated ideas. Do own storylines and a few OC's. Also own two spare pillows that I huggle when I sleep. Note the 'Universal' bit - that means it applies to all my fics. So nyah! *sticks tongue out at lawyers, who suddenly get in a huddle and frequently glance at me*  
  
WARNING: Shounen-ai fic. That means boy-love. Which means gay sex. No like, no read! *points to door* Will possibly also feature shoujo-ai later. Will probably have lemon and lime scenes. Upsetting death scenes.  
  
Well, the intention is for this to run in the same vein as Forbidden Love - that means Drama, Angst, Humour, Anger, Action and Romance. Hope you guys like it... after all the build-up, if this is a let-down I'll just go top myself. So please enjoy! ^_^  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Just look at him," Bakura sighed, speaking quietly. "He's not even moved from that spot all day."  
  
Malik nodded slowly, his heart heavy with feeling for the Pharaoh. "Can you blame him? Tomorrow would have been their anniversary…"  
  
Bakura gave a small 'hmm' as means of a reply. The entire room seemed to have taken on the same mood as the Pharaoh – no desire to move, to think, to sleep…. not even to live. Not that it was hard to understand why, of course. There was no question about it; Yugi had been Yami's intended. The Gods had meant them to be together… but they hadn't meant it to be happy ever after. Bakura wondered for only the second time in his life just how low the Gods could possibly go… stealing away loved ones with such impunity just didn't seem right. "It's so hard to believe they only had eleven days together… they really loved eachother so much. Eternity wouldn't have been enough"  
  
Malik looked at Bakura, his eyes betraying an underlying sadness for their friend. He knew exactly what Bakura meant; he and Malik shared exactly the same feelings as the Pharaoh and Yugi had. "And one of those was the big rescue," came the doleful reply.  
  
Bakura's eyes held the same look. 'Yes…' he thought bitterly. '*That* rescue… the biggest fuck-up ever…'  
  
Malik and Bakura had both held themselves partially to blame for the failed rescue attempt – all the 'what ifs' had consistently whirled round their heads for weeks after that. They doubted they could have done any more – they hadn't even known they were capable of doing as much as they did! – but they still wished they had. They wished desperately that Yami still had Yugi with him – Yami was their friend now, and Malik had developed a rapport with Yugi during their brief stay in Set's cells. He'd often told Bakura how friendly Yugi had been, how cheerful and optimistic he'd tried to be despite everything. Malik hadn't been able to help liking him, and wished he was still around, so that they could have one more true friend. Likewise, Bakura wished he could have met him properly, just the once.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Since that day, Yami's world had ceased to be. Once Set had stabbed Yugi, Yami had charged at him, knocking him off the platform… but the damage had been done. Yami dropped to his knees at Yugi's side as Yugi cried out painfully, each beat of his heart pumping his life away as it spurted blood across his chest. Tears in his eyes, Yami had whispered those three sacred words to Yugi once more, and leaned across to kiss him. He felt a weak response, and felt Yugi's whispered breaths against his cheek. "I love you too." Then… nothing. Yugi had fainted, the blood loss mercifully sparing him the pain of the heart attack that was imminently due, and Yami's vision had begun to spin.  
  
When Yami came round, he was in his bed in the palace, surrounded by various medics who were anxiously watching him. For a brief second, he hadn't recalled what had happened, or why he was in his bed Then it came flooding back, and Yami's tears had begun to fall. He'd curled up in a tight ball, the covers he and Yugi had shared wrapped tightly around him, and cried his eyes out, wishing the world could just cease to be, that it had never existed so he and Yugi hadn't had to go through that.  
  
Yami had stayed like that for two weeks, barely eating and crying every time he thought of Yugi – which was almost every waking moment. When he slept, the event played over again, and he awoke shaking and sobbing once more. There was no peace for the heartbroken Pharaoh, and eventually he left the running of his kingdom to his advisors, unable to face another decision without knowing his love would be there at the end of the day. Slowly, the Pharaoh allowed himself to get less and less involved with anything, and in the end had simply borrowed a slave's outfit and left the palace altogether, leaving behind as many of the painful memories as he could.  
  
With no-one to oppose him, Set swiftly made sure all the advisors were under his thumb – every man had his price – and ran the kingdom himself, claiming to be acting on the Pharaoh's behalf. The people didn't question him – after what they'd seen at the execution, they weren't surprised that their leader was having trouble facing daily life – and eventually, Set took absolute power without even having to cause any bloodshed. Except, he'd often laughingly remind himself, for the Pharaoh's little fuck-puppet.  
  
His plan had come to fruition with far greater ease than he'd ever begun to imagine. It seemed that it helped to have the gods on your side…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yami's departure from the palace had been the loneliest time of his life for a while. He'd wound up living on the streets, no-one wanting to house him or associate with him. Outside of the palace, he wasn't recognised – after all, the Pharaoh didn't wear common clothes, and didn't live on the street. The Pharaoh was never caked in mud, and never had to beg. So that man who looked remarkably like the Pharaoh couldn't possibly have been him. Just one of those funny things life throws at you before you walk past with barely a second glance.  
  
Such, it seemed, was destined to be the end of a wasted life. Not that Yami particularly cared one way or another. Fortunately for him, someone did. Or sometwo, to be exact.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Malik paused mid-stride. "Bakura… I don't mean to sound like I'm crazed or anything, but… is that the Pharaoh?"  
  
Bakura, who hadn't paid any attention to beggars for years, instead focussing on richer and more deserving pickings, followed Malik's eyes, blinking in surprise as he saw the figure slumped in the corner. "It… can't be…" he murmured, starting to take a step toward the figure even as he spoke. "He wouldn't be out here… unless…"  
  
Malik dashed past Bakura, slowing to a walking pace near the figure and kneeling down beside him. "…Yami?"  
  
The figure slowly lifted his head. The voice seemed familiar, and it was a name that he hadn't been called for what seemed to be a long time. In fact, only two people had ever called him that… and one of them was dead. He stared at the white-haired boy knelt beside him, and desperately groped through his tired memory for a name. Even if it went nowhere, it was nice to see a friendly face again. "…Malik?"  
  
The white-haired boy grinned, so apparently Yami had got it right. "Yeah, it's me." Malik paused and looked intently at the Pharaoh's face. He had been about to say that Yami looked like he'd been to Duat [1] and back again… but then, he supposed he had, really. Malik looked up as Bakura knelt down beside him, then looked back to Yami.  
  
Bakura's voice issued a command. "You're coming with us."  
  
"Huh?" was all the fallen leader could offer by way of a request for an explanation.  
  
"You're coming to live with us, Pharaoh." That was a habit Bakura had never dropped. "I'm not letting you live out here, especially not after all you did for us." Before Yami could protest, Bakura and Malik had grabbed an arm each and pulled Yami to his feet, escorting him to their home.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
During the many months Yami had spent with Bakura and Malik, he had gradually begun to make some new friends, and had slowly started to live again. He still hurt hugely, and he was certain that he always would. But Yugi had given him one thing above all else; friendship. Yugi had taught Yami compassion and kindness, and Yami never wanted to lose that. If nothing else, Yugi would live on through his honoured memory. Just like all the Pharaohs of his nation.  
  
Yami had slowly adapted to street life, and had learnt what Bakura referred to as 'a few tricks of the trade'. Yami had even begun to smile, for a short time. Now, faced with this harsh milestone in his life, Yami wasn't sure he could go on. He'd lost all will to, once again. Just as he'd begun to build himself back up, the day that would have been their anniversary approached, and he'd sunk. Now, sat on his bed and staring out the window, Yami felt a single tear slip down his cheek. "Yugi…" he whispered.  
  
Bakura and Malik both sighed together. Their hearts ached for their friend, but there really was nothing they could do right now.  
  
Turning, they one after the other went down their sun-baked-mud stairs, before slouching on the piles of feather-stuffed sacks that served as seats. Bakura twined his fingers together behind his head and leaned back, wondering what on earth could be done to help Yami tomorrow. Certainly well-wishers and flowers wouldn't serve any benefit…  
  
Malik, ever the brains of the outfit, suddenly sat up. "Bakura!" he whispered, low and urgently. "Listen… tomorrow, we're going to help Yami. If nothing else, we can give him something to take his mind off it if he wants."  
  
Bakura, with a moan, slowly sat up. "How so?"  
  
Malik paused, going over the detail in his head. "All we need to do is have everyone round here for the day… not as a party, but as a social gathering. To show Yami he's not alone, and that we all grieve with him. To give him someone to talk to, about whatever he wants."  
  
Bakura considered this, then flopped back down again. "You know…" he mused. "I doubt it'll make the day wonderfully pleasant for Yami… In fact, I doubt anything could. But yes, I think it will help…"  
  
"So we can stop pitying him and start doing something then?"  
  
Bakura considered this. "Yes… I think so…"  
  
"So, if Yami's gonna be better than he would have been, we can be happy now… and that means…"The grin was evident in Malik's voice, floating across the room almost as a sing-song. "My turn on top tonight!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[1] Duat – the Ancient Egyptian underworld  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Eeee... I liked that chapter ^_^ What did you guys think? Did you like it? You liked it, right? I do hope you liked it... Oh, please say you liked it!  
*shudder* I think Pegasus's taunting of Seto really affected me... Hit the big purple button and lemme know what you thought anyway! Constructive criticism always welcomed, flames will be publicly mocked (see chapter 6 of Forbidden Love) and ideas for OC's can still be submitted! 


	2. A visitor in the night

In loving memory of Lee Christopher Cooper, born September 1955, died 27th November 2003.  
  
Hey all! First of all, I want to apologise for not updating as soon as I'd intended, but... well, as many of you know by now, my step-dad died last week, so writing has been... hard - he was more of a dad to me than a step-dad, and I miss him horribly. I'm coping okay now though, and intend to continue with this fic. If you wish to offer condolences, please do it by email, rather than during the review, as I'd rather the reviews were used for that purpose.  
Other than that, I'm not too bad, so I'm gonna get on with the reviews now! A few of you expressed concern about me using OC's... but to be fair, I did in Forbidden Love too. OC's will never play anything more than a sub-role or a role complimentray to the major characters in my fics. In short, it's still Yami, Bakura, Malik, Set etc that I'll be focussing on. Okies?  
  
To Ame: Well, the waiting's finally over ^_^ And yeah, I totally agree about Set!  
To Yami Yami Yugi: Hehe... well, ya can find out now. Sorry for taking so long! -_-'  
To 'Bryanna': Glad ya liked it. Enjoy the second course ^_^  
To 'Reiya Moon': Hee... 30+ reviews for one chapter? Yeah, I'd say it was pretty successful ^_^ (My target is 5!!!)  
To Yuki KIKI: Sorry for taking so long, and sorry for the OC's... but I wanted to get the fans involved, and share people's work. And like I said, the major guys are the important ones!  
To 'me': *sigh* Yes, OC's are a bad thing in many cases... so badly overused... but I'm gonna try my hardest not to, okay? Glad you like it anyway! ^_^  
To Painful Life: A bloody demise for Set... you and everyone else, I should think! And you'll see pretty soon if Yami cheers up or not!  
To Angelic*demon44: *blink* I'm guessing you didn't read Forbidden Love then? Otherwise it would make sense. Heh, it'll become clear as time goes on ^_^  
To rebelphoenix: Heh... yeah, okay, maybe I did... but I got the point across, ne? He's depressed. Distraught. Devastated, if you will. Glad you like my layout (my original experiment got criticised harshly in Forbidden Love -_-), hope ya keep reading!  
To silver-fox20: Heh... I dunno, I think this fic's got a lot to live up to... I'm gonna try my hardest to make it at least equal FL though!  
To Emriko: haha... "When is Set gonna die?" Now that'd be telling... if he is at all! After all, I bet you thought I'd save Yugi, ne?  
To Silverlily aka Blood Moon: Fine, you WILL see me write my way out of it! So nyah! And thanks again for the doujin help, by the way!  
To 'Yami Neferbre': Here's the continuation, glad you liked and sorry it took so long!  
To Misseystar: Heh... emailed you, ne? *prod* review more often, missey! XD  
To Chaotic Bystander: I'm glad ya found it too! hehe... more angst for ya this time though!  
To Shadowspecter: Hehe... AND NOW I PUT CHAPTER TWO UP! *glomps back* Hope you love this one too!  
To ObiWanGirl: 2nd to review... better luck next time ^_^ Glad ya liked it, hope ya do this too!  
To Tasan15: One of your faves? *light blush* Thanks! Here's some more for ya!  
To 'Anna': I've never actually pronounced it 'Malik' either - remember, the name is japanese, and in japan 'l' makes a sound much nearer 'r'. Thus it is spelt Malik and pronounced Marik. Glad you liked the fic though, and I'm glad you took the time to go read Forbidden Love too! ^_^  
To 'Darkwolf193': *sigh* One Last Breath is in the works... Once I've got my head straightened up, I'll be writing like a beast, so you will get an update soon!  
To CrazyAboutYugi: Heh... thanks ^_^ Just please give this one a little chance? I'm sure you'll LOVE my little trump card! ^_^  
To Sheol: Well, this was ASAP... probs not S enough though, ne? Hehe, enjoy anyhoo!  
To Miyako Cairo: Heh, no offence taken. I've never been secretive about bein bi, and yeah, I'm somewhat hikari\uke sometimes... so I ain't surprised that I sounded like a girl! Glad you liked it!  
To Ruth: *huggle* Ish okay... it will get better... I give my word ^_^  
To '******': Glad you liked Forbidden Love ^_^ It was a bit sad, ne? Here's the update!  
To Taddybear: Yeah, it made me cry a little while I was writing it too... and you'd be thinking of Duat there - I did mention it in that chapter!  
To Bakura'sLittleDiscipleofEvil: Hehehe... thanks for all that ^_^ I dunno if you'll need the kleenex this time or not... *passes some your way, just in case*  
To 'confused child': The first to make you cry? *swells with happiness* Thankyou! I remember the first fic to make me cry... it was absolutely amazing... so thankyou!  
To Hijiri Hitokiri Battousai: Heh... I guess I share some of the pain too now, hey? I suppose it gets better though... But yeah, sad and sweet is nice, and I can kind of identify too now. Hey, brothers in yaoi, and brothers in loss! *huggles*  
To Shade25: *super-chibi squeal* Eeeeee... thankyou! *squeezes back* here's the update, and sorry for keeping you waiting!  
  
Many thanks to all of you who submitted OC's, we get to meet three in this chapter. Bear in mind this is their introduction, so of course they're gonna have a bigger role than usual. To those of you who suggested I play me as an OC... although I've tailored the charatcer a bit (so that I don't do the all-time corny and put ME in), I decided to do it! See if you can guess who it is!  
The song featured in this chapter is 'Spirit (Kokoro)' by Yasunori Mitsuda. It's a beautiful song, and well worth downloading. Now onwards!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yami looked up from staring at the floor as a hand was placed gently on his shoulder, and gave the owner a wane smile. The boy gave Yami a feeble grin in return, even though his eyes were partially teary, and sat next to him, silently offering Yami his support. Yami gently slipped an arm round the boy, resting his head on his friend's shoulder. He sighed deeply – although he still hurt deeply, it helped to have his few friends round him. When he was alone, everything focussed on Yugi, and he descended into an abyss of self-pity. With his friends around, he could at least keep afloat.  
  
"Thankyou, Lateef," Yami whispered, blinking a tear back from the corner of his eye.  
  
Lateef simply gave a small nod by means of reply. "Any time… you know that."  
  
The boy's name meant gentle, and that suited him perfectly. His soft eyes, which were almost unique in colour, met you almost like a cushion, and Yami had never seen him lose his temper or even raise his voice, not even when guards tried to wrongfully arrest him. In fact, Yami wondered if Lateef could raise his voice – he was so softly-spoken it was almost like he was afraid he'd injure you if he spoke too loudly. Given the boy's past – which he had, briefly, discussed – Yami wasn't surprised. If he hadn't developed that sort of nature, he'd most likely have wound up dead. The only problem being that he was now too submissive for his own safety – many was the time Bakura or Malik had rescued him from the otherwise unresisted clutches of slave traders or would-be attackers. The boy's lithe form, almost feminine in shape, certainly meant many of the more lecherous members of the public lusted after him.  
  
Yami sighed again. "I miss him so much… and, if I'd just stayed there for five more…"  
  
Lateef shushed the Pharaoh into silence. "Look, it really wasn't your fault… You know that. Blaming yourself only makes it harder."  
  
Sniffling, Yami nodded his agreement, clutching tightly onto Lateef's loose garments as he fought the tears back.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Not far across the room, four others stood in quiet discussion, checking across to see if Yami was okay frequently. They were pretty sure that if anyone could comfort him, Lateef was the one. Not that *they* hadn't been speaking to him, of course – he'd simply gone away for a quiet moment, and had started looking lonely again. Bakura, stood behind Malik with his arms snaked round his love's waist, addressed one of the others.  
  
"Adair," he murmured. "Why in Ra's name do you keep grinning like that?" This earned Bakura a slight nudge from an irritated Malik – Bakura followed the sun-God, while Malik favoured Osiris, and they constantly bickered over whose God was the superior. Malik was still yet to find a response to Bakura's defence of "Well *my* God didn't get killed by his son…"  
  
Adair flicked one of the multitude of spikes of near-black hair that covered his forehead out of the way of his eye and grinned cockily. Despite the occasion, everyone was trying to keep upbeat, hoping to lift Yami's mood with them, and no-one managed it better than Adair. "I was just noticing the way Akemi keeps looking over there… seems he's interested in someone, and I bet it isn't the Pharaoh."  
  
Akemi simply folded his arms and snorted at Adair, giving him a non-committal look. He snapped his head back to face Bakura sharply, causing his hair, which was an even lighter blonde than Malik's and went halfway down his back, to flail behind him. Akemi was even quieter than Lateef, though he carried an air of confidence about him that Lateef lacked, and was certainly by no means as gentle. His name meant 'bright and beautiful', and it suited him as well as Lateef's did, with his honeyed-sun eyes, willowy form and almost feline grace. "I'm just concerned," came the brusque defence.  
  
Malik chuckled slightly at this. He'd been having the same thoughts as Adair, though he wasn't sure if it was appropriate to point it out – but then, it was no surprise that Adair had. He certainly had the biggest attitude of the group. He was about to add a choice comment of his own, when he saw Yami and Lateef stand and begin to walk across to them. Together, the six moved off to grab a drink and a seat each, Malik on Bakura's lap as usual.  
  
Once they were all comfortable, Yami sighed loudly. "Gods… I miss him so much…" Yami stared distantly into the bottom of his chalice – doubtless stolen from the pricier end of the market square – as if it might hold some clue as to how to bring Yugi back. He felt tears stinging his eyes once more, and he closed them firmly, not wanting to bring his friends down. "Yugi…" he sighed, a tear dropping and mixing with the wine before him. Whispering, almost silently, Yami addressed the Gods once more, as he had done several times daily since he'd been able to do anything other than cry. "Why… why did you take him? He did no wrong… he was so innocent and pure… he deserved so much more than even I could give him… he…"  
  
Yami felt a shuddery breath run through him, and ceased his murmurings, instead trying to compose himself. Looking up with teary eyes, Yami gazed round at his five friends. "Thankyou, all of you…" he began. "You've all stood by me, through all my hardship… I can never say how much you all mean, nor how grateful I am that you've allowed me to let Yugi's memory live on…" Yami felt his voice begin to choke, and fell silent again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Eventually, the conversation eased away from the reason they were all gathered there, and managed to drift to lighter matters. At that particular moment, Bakura was joking about Malik's first thievery lesson, much to Malik's annoyance.  
  
"You know how people are when they first get together, especially young boys. All over eachother, where they can help it."  
  
Adair smirked at this. "And you two are any different now how?"  
  
Everyone chuckled, even Yami, and Bakura continued his story with a grin. "Malik just couldn't help himself. I was trying to teach him to pick my pocket. He didn't learn the basics too badly – he could get his hand in without any trouble at all…" Malik grinned wickedly as Bakura carried on. "It was just getting it out that was the problem… it seemed to quite enjoy being there."  
  
Malik twitched suddenly as Bakura prodded him in the side playfully, nearly falling off Bakura's lap. With a small frown, he replied, "Well I don't recall you exactly arguing, mister 'Oh Malik, faster…' In fact, if I recall correctly, your hand missed my pocket entirely…"  
  
Bakura's cheeks tinged pink at this, embarrassed about the anecdote and that his had been thrown back in his face, and Adair laughed loudly. "Aww, the King of Thieves is blushing!"  
  
This only caused Bakura to blush even more deeply, and he jumped to his feet – accidentally throwing Malik to the floor in the process – and pointed a finger at Adair. "You be quiet!" he yelled furiously. "I've heard some bed-time stories about you too!"  
  
Adair smirked and leaned back in his seat. "All true, my friend."  
  
Malik, dusting himself off, stood up. "Even the one about the goat?" he enquired innocently.  
  
Adair's dark blue eyes went wide. "W… who told you that???"  
  
Malik and Bakura both raised an eyebrow simultaneously. "You mean it's true?"  
  
Adair growled and, leaping to his feet, charged at the two thieves, resorting to violence as a last means of defending his name, and before long the three were involved in a large scuffle on the floor.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
No-one had noticed, during the commotion, Akemi stand up and head to the window. There he stood, his head tipped slightly to one side aid his hearing. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he squinted into the darkness, wishing that Horkhenti Irti [1] had an eye open tonight. He wasn't certain, but…  
  
"Yami!" he called over the racket, startling both the Pharaoh and Lateef – they really weren't used to hearing Akemi yell. "Make them shut up a moment!"  
  
Yami, picking up one of the feather-stuffed sacks that served as seat padding, duly obliged, beating all three over the head until they remained silent, somewhat dazed. Bakura was the first to recover, and he growled angrily "What in Ra's name do you think you're doing Pharaoh?"  
"Osiris's name…" Malik corrected.  
  
Akemi shushed them all again, and listened hard. Soon, the other's ears had adjusted to the soft sound, and one by one they cottoned on to what it was. Bakura stood beside Akemi and squinted down, barely able to make out the shadowy outline of a figure sat two floors below them, directly under the window. Bakura pulled his head back in and turned to the others. "Singing?"  
  
They all nodded, and came closer to the window so they could make out the words.  
  
"I've been watching you a while  
Since you walked into my life  
Monday morning when first I heard you speak to me.  
I was too shy to let you know  
Much too scared to let my feelings show  
But you shielded me and that was the beginning."  
  
They all blinked softly. The voice was beautiful, crystal-clear and ringing gently through the night, the stillness of the shadows letting the voice radiate peacefully, creating a serene feeling everywhere it reached.  
  
"Now unless we can talk in another way  
And though I try, 'I love you' is just so hard to say  
If I only could be strong  
And say the words I feel…"  
  
"Gods…" Lateef whispered, afraid of breaking the spell. "It's… it's so…"  
  
"Stunning…" Yami finished, looking dazed. He gently took a step forward, his footsteps almost as soft as Bakura's when he was off on a raid. Somehow, the lyrics were telling his story… he'd wanted to tell Yugi, but he hadn't been able to. And every day, he'd wished he had been.  
  
Bakura turned his head and saw Yami take another step. "Pharaoh?"  
  
Yami offered nothing in the way of a response, his face glazed over, and took another step, turning so he was headed toward the stairs.  
  
"My beating heart begins to race  
When I turn to see your face  
I remember that sweet dream, in which you talked to me.  
I wanted just to be with you  
So we could make the dream come true  
And you smiled at me, and that was the beginning."  
  
Malik's eyes opened wide. "It's those creatures the Greek sailors talk about… the… the Sirens!" Malik ran and grabbed Yami's arm, trying to pull him back, but the Pharaoh simply shrugged him off and continued, his strides suddenly more determined as if whoever or whatever was outside had heard Malik and was insisting Yami hurry. His feet made gentle thuds on the baked-mud stairs as he went down, and Bakura and Malik rushed after him, determined that their friend should not befall any danger.  
  
"Now unless we can talk in another way  
And though I try, 'I love you' is just so hard to say  
If I only could be strong  
And say the words I feel…"  
  
The voice suddenly became more passionate, emotion flowing through it, a deep pain and sadness reverberating off the walls of the stairwell, as if the words meant something to the owner too, and Bakura and Malik saw the Pharaoh's face lift into a happy smile, his eyes lighting up. As the singer continued, Yami picked up his pace, breaking into a run once he reached the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Tell me what you felt before  
Tell me if you love me now  
I have so much I long to ask you, but now the chance has gone.  
While I picture it each day  
In my heart the memory stays  
Flowing round, you're always smiling, and I will hold you close."  
  
As the singer's voice tailed off the last note, Yami pulled the rickety wooden door opened and stepped out into the night, ignoring Bakura and Malik's pleas that he wait.  
  
In the shadows, a shape could be seen standing and turning to face the Pharaoh, who stood enraptured as the figure's soft voice addressed him, each syllable caressing him, dripping with love. "I was hoping you would come."  
  
Malik and Bakura skidded to a halt at Yami's side, small clouds of sand spraying from their feet, and gasped as the figure began to move into the gentle aura of light radiating from their door.  
  
"No…" Malik gasped, clutching onto Bakura's arm, his face a shade paler underneath the tan. "It can't be…"  
  
As the figure stepped into full view, it smiled. With a gentle laugh, it replied, "But it is…"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[1] Horkhenti Irti – one of Horus' aspects (originating from Letopolis) meaning 'Horus who rules the two eyes'. The two eyes in question were, of course, the sun and the moon (Horus being, among other things, God of light).  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
*cackle* I love leaving cliffies... Come on people, hit the review button and tell me you liked it! ^_^ Oh, and all news with regards to the Forbidden Love doujin is positive - it looks like we may well have a project on our hands! 


	3. Reunion?

Hey all! Well, here's another offering in the ever-continuing saga! (Is this to saga status now? I don't know... when does a story become a saga) And to tose of you who tried to guess, if you said you thought I was supposed to be Lateef... you're right!  
  
Reviews: (A\N: Nyeee! *flops down onto bed* 56 after two chapters?! *huggles all*)  
  
To Smarty1: Here ya go! Sorry, but ya had to wait ^_^  
To 'Murasaki': They invented cliffies so that people like me could cackle at reviews like that! ^_^ I know I'm mean... I'm sowwy!  
To shadowspecter: *blinku* I think Pegasus has gotten to you too... Ya think Yugi? *snerk* Soon find out!  
To Ame: *gets whapped* ow... ya, I'm mean, you all said it... Hehe... you're right, it could be so many people!  
To Yami Yami Yugi: Yeah, well you would think it was Yugi ^_^ And that song actually slipped in beautifully, methinx... but I've always been quite good at songficcing...  
To blazing kodachi: o.O Pegasus got you as well...? Haha, anyways, you'll see...  
To Tasan15: I stopped there because it was a wonderfully evil place to stop at ^_^  
To 'Moon': Thanks ^_^ Here's your update... and I might let it be Yugi... I might not...  
To Silverlily aka Blood Moon: Ya, totally cruel, but for a good cause ^_^ *blinku* You taking a leaf out of MY book? *squee!* Yay!!! One of my favest authoresses does that to me!!! *faints from happiness*  
To Shade25: Hehe, glad it got better and not worse ^_^' Hope you liked the song!  
To a-yolanda13: Yup, Yugi's dead. So how could the figure be him? *evil music* Glad you like the fic *huggle* Here's more!  
To blueraydragon: You wanna know about the goat? You sure that's wise? Heh, it might pop back up later... glad you liked that chappie anyways ^_^  
To Misseystar: Whee... someone appreciates the deeper touches to the work! *huggles tightly* Here's the update... and you can have this one dedicated to you for taking a little time to read between the lines!  
To 'kali': Here's more! ^_^  
To Darkwolf193: Hehe... this soon enough? Probs not -_-' But it'll have to do!  
To Hijiri Hitokiri Battousai: So glad you're gonna let me live ^_^ Hopefully this chappie'll get rid of the urge to kill... *sidles toward door slowly*  
To silver_fox20: Hehe... here's your update *pulls you in from wherever you're hanging* Thanks for the kind words ^_^  
To 'confused child': Ya... if I hadn't continued, I'd be bombarded with hate mail...*huggles nekkid plushies and puts them down in compromising position* Here's the next chappie ^_^  
To Miyaki Cairo: Just have to wait and see ^_^  
To Bi Panda: *huggles* Thanks for that ^_^ The funeral was weds, so ya weren't too late ^_^ And here's the next one!  
To Momo17: *eyebrow twitches* I'm sure you used to review under a different name... But meh, glad ya liked the OC's, I was a little worried... but at least someone likes them! XD  
To galenhiril: Awesome? Thanks!!! *tackle-glomps* Here's the next chappie for ya ^_^  
To Goku-Benji: Hey dude ^_^ I killed Yugi because... well, you'll see... and you might still enjoy it, even if Yugi isn't reborn... I promise there will be lots of yaoiness!  
To trekkie-54: Heh... ya like the fic, but not the cliffie... well let's face it, cliffies are fun, even if they do make ya wanna take a spork and poke eyes out... At least you acknowledged I was an AUTHOR though! *shoots a glance at Queen of games* Here's the end of the cliffieness!  
  
And I want you all to know I was gonna delay revealing who that figure was! Either a whole chappie of suspense building, or even going off to the palace or something! But... I knew it'd be suicidal... so here ya go! Who could it be? *snerk*  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"But it is…"  
  
The figure spoke no further, simply smiling at the Pharaoh. Slowly, Malik stepped forward, a quivering hand outstretched as he eased closer to the individual. He couldn't believe his eyes… it had to be an illusion, or a ghost…   
  
His hand inched ever closer, and paused moments from the boy's skin. What if it was an illusion? Even more so, what it if *wasn't*? The very laws of nature would have been turned upside down – in fact, the only being to have ever completed such a feat before was Osiris himself… His hand shaking furiously, Malik tried to bring himself to touch – or pass through – the shape.  
  
With a smile, the boy spoke again. "It's okay, you can touch me… I'm real."  
  
Malik gave a small cry as he felt the shape's hand reach out and touch his own, and staggered backwards into the shelter of Bakura's arms. He was real. It was impossible… but real. He'd felt the physical contact – the warmth of the boy's flesh against his own. He was solid and alive. Not a ghost. Not the living dead – which would perhaps have been slightly easier to accept. No, he was alive, and apparently in very high spirits. Malik clutched at Bakura's simple clothing tightly, his eyes wide in fear and wonder. "Gods…" was all he could manage, his chest feeling like someone had wrapped an iron bar around it. He felt Bakura's arms slip around him, and looked up at his white-haired love. Apparently he too was just as awe-struck as Malik.  
  
The boy giggled once again, and a smile broke across the Pharaoh's face, which seemed to light up the immediate area, such was his joy. "Yugi…" the Pharaoh breathed softly.  
  
The shape nodded, a happy smiling lighting up his features too, a tear in the corner of his eye. "That's right Yami. It's really me."  
  
Yami's mouth eased open slightly, and he too stood awestruck for a second, before quickly coming to his senses. "YUGI!" the Pharaoh cried, before running across and scooping his lost love up in his arms, hugging him tightly, afraid he might disappear again. "Gods Yugi… is it really you…?"  
  
Hugging the Pharaoh back, crying into his chest, Yugi nodded. "Yes Yami, it's really me." A soft sob came from the boy, and his voice cracked. "I'm really back… gods, I've missed you…"  
  
At these words, Yami squeezed even tighter, more certain than ever that it was some cruel joke, and that Yugi would be taken away from him. "It can't be…" he whispered, a tear falling from his eye. "It can't…"  
  
"But it is," Yugi replied, nuzzling his cheek against Yami's chest happily, seemingly uncaring that he was caught in an almost vice-like grip. "It is me Yami… I'm really back…"  
  
Yami suddenly felt weak at the knees, as the shock began to set in, and he set Yugi down before kneeling in front of him, taking his hand. His eyes shining with pent-up tears, Yami gazed adoringly up at Yugi, still partly unbelieving. For half a second, Yugi thought Yami was going to propose, and he giggled again before softly cupping Yami's cheek with one hand and leaning down slightly, so that they were at equal eye level. "Yami, it's okay… I'm not going to go anywhere without you," he whispered, before closing the gap between them with a kiss.  
  
To Yami, it felt like their first kiss all over again, the warmth from Yugi's lips spreading all through Yami's body and creating little tendrils of delicious pleasure wherever it reached. Softly, Yami reached up and cupped Yugi's cheek with his own hand, giving a gentle moan as he felt Yugi lean in closer. He couldn't remember if any moment had ever felt this sweet, nor did he care. As he felt Yugi's lips part slightly, inviting him in, he felt a second chance at life coursing through his veins, a spark of life deep down being fed by the wonderful emotions Yugi released within him. With another moan, Yami hungrily accepted Yugi's invitation, his tongue dipping in to Yugi's mouth and tracing round the inside, eager to reacquaint with the contours and taste after so long apart.  
  
Yugi sighed softly as he felt Yami's tongue brush against his own, sinking down to his knees so that Yami could lead them once again, and moaned loudly as Yami took him in his arms, leaning him back and deepening the kiss. Yugi felt Yami's tongue run over his and responded eagerly, his tongue rising to meet the Pharaoh's and caressing it, Yami humming into the kiss and causing the smaller boy to squirm happily as the vibration thrummed through his body.  
  
From above them, Adair's voice floated down. "Hey, what's happening down there?" Yami broke the kiss with a small chuckle, and Yugi giggled softly. "Guess we might have been a little loud, eh?"  
  
Yugi nodded in reply, burying his face into the crook of Yami's neck. Now that he was back in Yami's arms, nothing else mattered. For the moment, in his mind, nothing else even existed.  
  
Kissing the back of Yugi's neck softly, Yami stood, lifting the boy in his arms, and turned to face the other two, who had slipped into an embrace with eachother and had wide smiles on their faces. "So Pharaoh," Bakura stated softly. "I guess miracles do come true."  
  
Yami nodded, squirming slightly as Yugi's nose nuzzled under his jaw. "They came true when we met these two –" Yami gestured to Yugi and Malik "– for the first time." At this, both the boys blushed furiously red, simultaneously burying their faces in their lovers' chests to hide it. Bakura laughed and gently kissed the top of Malik's head, causing the white-haired boy to bury his face deeper still. "Come on, let's get these two in."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Upstairs, Yugi received the same reaction as when he was first glimpsed. The whole feeling of disbelief and incredulity pervaded the room, until a VERY realistic kiss between the Pharaoh and Yugi confirmed Yugi's presence.  
  
Having gotten over their initial shock, though still somewhat quiet, the group sat down, chalices refilled. After all, the wake, as it were, had now become a party! Yami smiled round at everyone, his eyes radiating genuine happiness for the first time since he'd woken in the same bed as Yugi, and raised his chalice high. "To true love," he smiled, planting a kiss on Yugi's neck before taking a swig of wine. Yugi giggled and squirmed, before taking the goblet from Yami and having a sip himself. Likewise, the others all took a drink from their respective containers, a loud belch coming from Adair as he drained his chalice. Yugi, not really a big wine drinker, snuggled down into Yami's chest, smiling happily at Yami's friends, and tipped his head back so he could see his love. With a small smile, Yami leaned forward and kissed Yugi again, silently vowing as their lips came apart to never let an opportunity pass.  
  
Malik, who was quiet almost to the point of rivalling Lateef and Akemi, gave Bakura a gentle kiss too, snuggling deeply against his love. Seeing Yugi and Yami reunited had brought some hard facts home to him; somehow, Yami had survived being without his love. Only just, but he had. Malik wasn't sure he could. Not only that, but he was sure that he would regret so much if he did lose his love. And somehow, he doubted that Bakura would be given back too.  
  
"Bakura," he whispered, making sure only his aficionado could hear. "I… I love you…"  
  
Bakura's eyes flashed wide at this, and he sat stunned for a second. What had brought that out, he didn't know, but… something seemed so much more sincere about it than usual. It was like he was on his death bed, saying his final words. Gently, Bakura hugged Malik tighter. "I love you too," he whispered, stroking his love's hair softly.  
  
Breaking what was otherwise a silence, Adair – ever the unfazed – spoke up. "Yugi… I'm sorry, but I have to ask this. How did you get back?"  
  
Yugi gave a small smile, and looked up at Yami again. "I thought you'd have been the first to ask that," he said with a small giggle.  
  
Yami placed a kiss on the tip of Yugi's nose, causing the little one to titter again. "I admit, it had been on my mind… but it doesn't matter. You're back; that's all that matters to me." At this, Yugi blushed brightly, folding his hands in his lap and staring down at them, fidgeting slightly. Yami chuckled and slipped his arms round Yugi's waist, gently kissing where Yugi's neck met his shoulder. "So come on," he murmured. "What happened?"  
  
Eventually, Yugi's blush faded, and he nuzzled his cheek against Yami's as Yami rested his chin on Yugi's shoulder. "Well… you might find this a little hard to believe…"  
  
Bakura chuckled softly, cutting him off. "After what we've seen tonight? Yugi, if you told us you were the son of a God, we'd have a hard time not believing you!"  
  
At this, Yugi gave a weak laugh. "Heh… funny you should mention that…"  
  
Bakura's grin dropped. You could pin-point the exact moment it hit the floor. He stared, and Yugi nodded slightly, his voice totally clear as he spoke. The rest of the room held a shocked silence. "Well, that's what they said anyway, though they didn't tell me who…"  
  
Yami interrupted. "They?"  
  
"Osiris, Anubis and Thoth. I woke up in the Hall of Judgement, and… well, they weren't exactly prepared for my arrival. In fact, I think Osiris's exact words were 'What the bloody hell are you doing here???'" Yugi explained, mimicking the voice of the lord of the underworld as he spoke.  
  
All around the room, silence reigned.  
  
"Apparently I wasn't supposed to die… I'm supposed to do something important later, though they flatly refused to say what. You know when Set hesitated after you gave that speech, Yami?" At this, Yami nodded, and Yugi continued. "Well, that was supposed to be the be-all and end-all of it. Set was supposed to have been so moved by your speech that he released me. But…" Yugi sighed. "The Gods think someone interfered, possibly Seth, Apep or Sekhmet, and swayed Set's heart back again. And so the knife came down, I died, kingdom leadership is thrown into turmoil… not bad for one little flick of divine power, eh?"  
  
Others round the room stared at Yugi, wide-eyed. They were amazed that Yugi could speak about such things so off-the-cuff. Yugi noticed the looks and chuckled. "Oh come on, I've had a year to come to terms with it!" Yugi sighed softly, a smile across his lips. "It's kind of ironic really…"  
  
Several people round the room frowned in confusion, and Yugi rolled his eyes. "Think about it – I'm the son of a God, and the High Priest himself didn't notice! In fact, he killed me!"  
  
Suddenly, Yami felt his heart freeze as memories came back to him.  
  
*~*~*Flashback*~*~*  
  
… as though the soul behind those eyes were as pure as the Gods themselves.  
  
*~*~*End Flashback*~*~*  
  
Even he had seen it, the very day they met, and he hadn't realised… And then, on their first night together…  
  
*~*~*Flashback*~*~*  
  
For but a brief moment, Yami would have sworn Yugi shone as the light struck him – not just reflecting the light, but radiating his own inner glow. In that moment, Yugi's beauty surpassed everything that had existed before him, everything Yami had seen before diminished to a single withered stalk while Yugi rose above as but a single silky petal, beautiful, delicate, touched by the breath of the Gods. Sekhet-Hetepet, for that brief moment Yugi could have even been a god!  
  
*~*~*End flashback*~*~*  
  
"Gods…" Yami murmured softly. "It's really true…"  
  
Yugi nodded, gently leaning back and kissing Yami's cheek. "There's some really nasty politics going on up there at the moment though… Ra and Hathor are furious, Astarte and Babi are out hunting for the three suspects as we speak, Amun's just about ready to rain thunderbolts down on Set's family for the next five generations…" Yugi sighed heavily and shook his head. "As for the three at the Hall… they had to look after me for that year, and got sick of explaining my presence to all who arrived. Quite a few of the lesser-witted Akhs got sent to the wrong place…"  
  
Lateef slowly spoke up, his brow creased in thought as he tried to accept all of this. "So why didn't they just send you down then, instead of now?"  
  
Yugi rolled his eyes again and grinned. "Ceremonial significance, they said. Up there, there has to be a special meaning behind every action. After all…" Yugi sat up onto Yami's lap and hugged him closely, nuzzling against his chest lovingly. "Today is our anniversary, right?"  
  
Yami gently kissed the top of Yugi's head and nodded in reply, a smile crossing his lips. "That it is… and I couldn't have asked for a better present."  
  
"So what did you get me?"  
  
At this, Yami froze, desperately searching for a reply. "Uhh…"  
  
Yugi giggled, tapping the tip of Yami's nose. "I was joking… you couldn't have possibly known!"  
  
Suddenly, a seductive smile came across Yami's face, and he leaned close to Yugi, whispering breathily into his ear. "I'll give you yours later…"  
  
Yugi blushed brightly at this, and the others laughed. They had a fair idea of what Yami had said to him, even without hearing it. Once more, Bakura spoke up. "So… if you're the son of a God, does that mean we have to fear divine wrath if we upset you?"  
  
Yugi considered this., before giggling again. "Possibly."  
  
Bakura frowned. "Damn… and I was gonna send you a plague of frogs tonight…"  
  
At this, Yami glared at Bakura, who waved his hands frantically in defence. "Hey hey, I was just kidding…"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Osiris = Lord of the Underworld, presides over judgement  
Anubis = Funerary god of embalmment and tombs; conducted the dead to the judgement  
Thoth = God of wisdom and magic; scribe of the gods; present at the judgement  
Seth = God of chaos, darkness and evil  
Apep = Huge snake symbolizing darkness, night, the underworld and death; demon enemy of the sun  
Sekhmet = Highly destructive goddess and war and battle  
Ra = Lord of the sun (the supreme god?)  
Hathor = Goddess of love, music and mirth; goddess of tombs and the sky  
Astarte = Warrior-goddess, daughter of Ra  
Babi = Fierce, bloodthirsty baboon-god  
Amun = God of fertility (the supreme god?)  
Akh = Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul that goes to judgement. The 'ka' was your personality (as such), and the 'ba' was the life force breathed into your body at birth. The ba left you after this, but a little was left behind (hence how you stayed alive). When you died, your ka and ba united into an akh, and went to be judged.  
  
N.B. The 'ultimate' God is usually Amun-Ra, a union of Amun and Ra  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
So, there you have it folks! Hope you enjoyed it!  
Next chapter, we pay a visit to the palace and meet a new OC... probably... and I'm contemplating a lime for the chappie after that...  
So go hit the review button, tell me what you think! And if there're any questions about this chappie, send an email my way! Address is in the profile right beside that yummy Yami x Yugi pic... 


	4. A bad day for some

Hello again everyone! I apologise for the delay in updating (I seem to be doing that a lot lately) but I'm sure you can understand christmas this year was a kind of special family one, which left me little time to actually write. However, the next chapter is now here, and I think some of you will like it! 

Reviews time! 

To a-yolanda13: Yes, lime soon... here's your update ^_^  
To Goku-Benji: Hey, ya know my writing style by now... since when have I ever done 'a fuck for the sake of a fuck'? XD Of course there's gonna be fluff!  
To ObiWanGirl: Okay, okay, here's your update ^_^  
To rebelphoenix: yelled at? Oh yeah... very much so... Nope, no lime this chappie... next chappie maybe ^_^  
To smarty1: Here ya go!  
To Taddybear: *dances happily* here's more!  
To 'Firecat': *holds up bottle of cough syrup* Methinx ya need this... Here's more anyways ^_^  
To Misseystar: Glad you appreciate the extra effort ^_^ Hope you enjoy this one too!  
To 'Bryanna': *giggles* Sowwy I couldn't do it too soon... but enjoy!  
To Darkwolf193: Heh... you're keen on One Last Breath, aintcha? Well, once things calm down at this end, I intend to get a bit more done on it! At least I know what I'm aiming for now...  
To 'Confused Child': *revives* Don't die yet... there's still lots more to come!  
To trekkie-54: *blinks* I'm so glad our postal service sucks... I guess the 'present' got lost ^_^'  
To Dutchess Murasaki: You'll see ^_^  
To Shade25: Whee! Happy tears! XD Lime next chappie maybe, bit of brutality for Set this time  
To silver_fox20: Thankees ^_^ Nothin of him this chappie tho...  
To blazing_kodachi: Glad ya like it... and naughty you for getting grounded1 XD  
To Miyaki Cairo: Lime due soon, and I'm contemplatin turnin it into a lemon too...  
To Miami-chan: Here ya go!  
To Pan-Chan83: Have added ya to my yahoo thingie ^_^ Glad ya like my work ^_^  
To Yuki KIKI: Yeah! The official religion of Yugi! Yugism... or possibly Hikarism, coz then we can worship Ryou and Malik too... Whoo! **Anyone who wants to join the ranks of Hikarists is more than welcome!** Glad ya liked the OC's, I have tried to keep them reader-friendly ^_^  
To Yami Yami Yugi: *giggle* Yah, now that ya point it out, maybe I did put a bit much of me into Osiris XD And not sayin what the mission is!  
To Kiawna: Here ya go!  
To galenhiril: *rocks on* Heee, glad ya like!  
To Bi Panda: *blushes* Nyah... I'm not ready to think about marriage yet... Dun wanna do that till I can afford it for one thing! Thanks for the gesture though! *huggle*  
To Chaotic Bystander: *glomp* I like CB better ^_^ here's the next chappie!  
To '_VIIIXIX_': Whee! People learnt new stuff! My research wasn't wasted! ^_^ And don't worry, there will hopefully be a lemon in this one!  
To 'foxyboykurama': Hehe... I dunno which was the supreme one... depends which of the cults you believe! Glad ya like, here's more!  
To bluey-chan: XD Glad ya like ^_^ And I mite explain the goat thing... dunno yet...  
To Fighter-Chick-Charsi: Yeah... lotsa people want Set dead... and I'm glad ya like the fic! ^_^  
To loki-reincarnate: Took your time dude! *thwap* Glad ya likey though... *runs off giggling*  
To DAU: *glomp* Hewwo again! You took your time too! *huggle* Glad ya likey though! *proddy* Update! 

Apologies for this chappie bein short, but it was all that I could do! Next one will be business as usual! XD 

*~*~*~*~*~* 

A highly decorated foot lashed out at the door to the throne room angrily, the owner crying out in pain as the door failed to respond to the force. Cursing loudly, Set glared at the guards stood either side of it. "Who locked this door?" 

Both guards looked confused, and fear showed in their eyes. "N... No-one, sir…" One guard hesitantly walked across and pressed against the door gently, causing it to swing open with ease. Hurriedly backing away, bowing as he did so, the guard resumed his post, praying fervently that the High Priest Lord, as Set had dubbed himself, wouldn't take his anger out on him. 

With a growl, Set marched through the doors, slamming them shut behind him, and strode across to his throne. He'd had the Pharaoh's throne removed – he may have been in power, but he still knew where to draw the line – and had had a new one brought in, with his name and title – High Priest Lord of the Two Lands, Set Nebkheprure – carved into it. Sitting on it with a most undignified bellow of rage, Set glared at all and sundry, every man quaking under the force of his eyes. 

Things really had not been going well for Set today. From the moment he'd woken up and trodden on that obscenely sharp stone, tearing a gash in his big toe, he'd known he was in for a bad day… but he couldn't help wondering exactly which God he'd pissed off so badly as to deserve all he'd endured. 

There'd been that one particularly stubborn peasant he'd had to deal with… Set shuddered at the thought, and made a mental note to have those robes incinerated. Vile creatures, the poor… though Set grudgingly admitted that the man's surprise gift was somewhat unexpected, and certainly very cleverly worked out. Had they met under better circumstances – like if he wasn't covered in fleas – Set might have even had a use for him. 

Then there was the incident whilst trying to divine. It was a simple process he'd done time and again – take the knife, hack the chicken's stomach open, look at how the intestines fall and interpret accordingly. Hardly a challenging task, usually. However, since _today_ was one of those days… Set couldn't believe he'd dropped the knife halfway across the room, and _again_ once he'd performed the ritual and was about to slice the chicken open. The fact that the damn animal was away and free somewhere in the palace courtyard now didn't help either. 

And just as he'd thought it couldn't get any worse… Set glared at the burning red wound on the back of his hand. He'd entered the shrine to Bastet to perform the daily worship, and one of the cats had actually attacked him! "Vicious little bastard…" he murmured, the injured hand fisting and popping one of the gashes open. The animal hadn't stopped till that miserable excuse for a priestess-in-training Masika had entered the room and pulled it off. And then it was as tame as a kitten once again. Set had yelled at her to perform the service for him and stormed out of the room to have his hand tended to. 

Speaking of whom… Set eyed his little cluster of trainee priests and priestesses in the corner, and noticed one of the five was missing. "Dubhak!" he called to the guard who was in charge of their safety, a menacing edge to his voice. "Where is Masika Amw?" 

Dubhak stepped forwardly nervously, bowing as deeply as he physically could. He even felt the backs of his legs strain as he leaned over. "High Priest Lord, she requested that I grant her some time away, as she wishes to go and check on her grandmother." 

"And why would she want to do that?" 

Dubhak cleared his throat nervously. Given the day Set had been having, and the mood he was in, he'd be lucky if all he got was yelled at. He was sure the High Priest Lord would take great delight in having a target to vent his anger at. "Well, her Grandmother is suffering from a long-term sickness, so she's hoping she can heal her somehow…" 

Set glowered at the guard. "In that case, she can heal her during the hours she ISN'T supposed to be working! How many times must I –" 

Set suddenly stopped, his yells replaced with a soft choking sound. His eyes bulged slightly, and his upper body began to suddenly jerk forward, his stomach clenching sharply. One of his advisors called out suddenly. "He can't breathe! He's choking!" 

A gasp went round the room at this, people all glancing at eachother, wondering who would dare go up to help the High Priest Lord. Normally, there would be no end of people willing to curry his favour, but… his current mood wasn't the most agreeable. With a small sigh, Dubhak ran to Set. He was in trouble anyway, and he might even find himself spared. Standing behind the High Priest Lord, placing both arms around his stomach, the guard locked both his hands together tightly before jerking them sharply into Set's gut. 

After a couple of attempts, the blockage came free, and Set dropped to his knees, gasping and choking for breath, and Dubhak slipped away without a word, not wanting to risk a violent backlash. Down on the floor, Set came almost face to face with the source of his problems. "A scarab… a fucking _scarab_ beetle…" he panted, glaring. Making a fist, he crushed the bug with his knuckles, a satisfying squelchy crunch emanating from the doomed insect. Climbing to his feet, Set snarled at all in the room before striding out without another word. The message was simple – _no-one_ was to repeat that event, ever. 

*~*~*~*~*~* 

Masika knelt gently beside her Grandmother, pouring a little water into a clay cup for her. Her Grandmother was, as far as she knew, her only living relative, and she loved her dearly. It was for her that Masika had decided to become a healer – she hoped that she might get good enough to heal her Grandmother before she… 

Masika shook her head. She didn't want to think like that. "Gran'mother," she whispered, gently patting her shoulder. "I've got a drink for you…" 

Her Grandmother smiled softly, gratefully accepting the cup. "Thankyou, Masu," she whispered. 'Masu' was a nickname Masika's Grandmother had given her a while back – it meant 'of the water'. Her Grandmother had given her it because Masika loved the rain, though she had only experienced it once when she was young. Masika smiled at her Grandmother, her murky green eyes – which were tinted with yellow and blue round the edges – sparkling. 

The old woman reached up and softly brushed some of Masika's curly, sun-bleached hair back, revealing a reddish tint as the light caught it. She smiled as her granddaughter's cherubic face lit up, and whispered softly to her. "You should get back to the palace… your High Priest will be furious that you've sneaked away." 

Masika scowled at the mention of Set, her round face looking almost comical as it displayed an emotion that was so rare for her. "I hate that man…" she whispered. "He's not my High Priest… I'd sooner see him dead. He's evil and manipulative, and he destroyed the Pharaoh's heart when he killed Yugi. He deserves to be fed to Am-Heh piece by piece." 

The old woman chuckled at this. "Now now Masika… I've told you not to hold grudges against people…" 

Masika smiled, her small, round nose crinkling slightly. "It's not a grudge Gran'mother… it's just a feeling of ill will." 

Masika's Grandmother chuckled, swatting at her lightly. "Go on, away with you… I'll be fine." 

Nodding, Masika stood, kissing her Grandmother lightly on the forehead. "Love you, Gran'mother," she whispered as she headed to the door. "Keep well…" 

*~*~*~*~*~* 

Am-Heh - A threatening Underworld god whose name means 'Devourer of Millions'. He dwells in a Lake of Fire. His ferocity is heightened by having the face of a hunting dog and an appetite for sacrifices. Only Atum [the evening aspect of Ra] can fend off Am-Heh. 

*~*~*~*~*~* 

Nyah! Take that Set! *swings a punch and falls over* Nyah... *cheers* Review peoples! 


	5. Shopping and troubles

Link to chapter cut due to content: adultfan nexcess net/aff/story php?no=31621 (add the http part in front, no w's, periods instead of spaces) 

Hey again everyone! Gods, sorry for the long delay, but I've been VERY busy and I've revived One Last Breath! Long intro short, just about every review had the same line of comment... so thankyou to everyone, and I'm glad you all enjoyed it! And welcome to all new **Hikarists**! 

Here's the fic!

* * *

Bakura glanced up from his sketch in the dirt as a tri-coloured spiky-haired boy staggered through into the main room of his house. "Morning!" he chirped cheerfully, sniggering as Yugi's bleary eyes eventually managed to focus on him. "Finally got up?" 

Yugi gave a dull nod, before shuffling further through, aiming in the vague direction of where the seats were. Despite his otherwise bright and chirpy attitude, Yugi had never been a morning person. Stifling a yawn, Yugi tried to make his hazy purple eyes focus on the vague brown outlines in front of him so as to make sure he didn't miss when he sat down. 

"How you feeling?" 

Yugi turned and blinked sleepily at Bakura. "You mean aside from the fact that I'm having to deal with my first morning for a year, I'm tired, the sun's too bright and I had the most wonderful night of my life?" 

Bakura nodded in reply. "…sore," Yugi admitted, wincing slightly as he sat down. 

Bakura sniggered again. "With the amount of noise you made last night, I'm surprised you can even walk!" 

Yugi blushed brightly, though he was still too deep in 'morning' mode to turn away. Moaning slightly, he settled back against the wooden chair – Amun knows how Bakura and Malik had sneaked THAT out of the marketplace – and sighed, his eyes closing again. "Where's Malik?" he asked casually, hoping to change the subject _very_ quickly. 

Bakura glanced up from his sketch again. "Hmm? Oh, he's out shopping… he earns his keep," Bakura explained pointedly, dropping a hint that if Yugi was going to live under his roof, he'd have to pull his weight too, son of a God or not. 

"By shopping you mean stealing?" came a deep voice from the entrance to the room. 

Bakura smirked. "Ah, so the Pharaoh has awoken too." Turning, he addressed Yami with a grin. "Looks like some are better with mornings than others." 

Indeed, this was a true observation. Unlike Yugi, who had slumped into the chair now, Yami was stood regal and proud, displaying fine posture with an air of power about him. As Pharaoh, he'd been awoken at all hours of the night, and so had learnt how to handle it very quickly. Now he could awaken and – at his discretion – be ready to rule a kingdom within three minutes. Of course, even a Pharaoh likes to have a lazy morning in bed now and then – particularly if they have the love of their life in their arms. Yami gave Bakura a nod by way of greeting, before heading through to the back of the house. "The Nile still where Ptah left it?" 

The Tomb Robber grinned. "Last time I checked!" 

"In that case, your Pharaoh intends to have a morning soak before he goes about town." With that, the last of Yami's spikes of hair disappeared from view, only to return within a couple of seconds. "Bakura…" he began enquiringly, his head tilted slightly to one side as his eyebrows furrowed. "What exactly _is_ that you're drawing?" 

Not bothering to look up this time, the tip of his tongue between his teeth as he frowned in concentration, Bakura absently replied, "New weapon. Very powerful. Overthrow empire. Slay High Priest. Quickly remove Malik's clothes." 

Yami blinked for a second. "…it looks like an ostrich." 

Bakura looked up this time, fixing Yami with a death glare. "I _thought_ you were having a morning soak?" he uttered between gritted teeth. 

Giving a grin and a wave in reply, Yami turned and strode off again, singing at the top of his lungs, welcoming the new day.

* * *

"What do you mean, I'd better pay for it?" 

"I'm telling you to pay for that bread. You know the penalty for stealing, don't you?" 

Malik smirked at the stall's owner. Now and then, he liked to get himself caught, just to see how it turned out. "Oh, you mean getting your hands cut off? Oh yeah, it's happened to me five times, I'm thinking of giving it up for something safer, like defiling temples." 

Malik noted with something close to fascination that the stall owner's left eye actually twitched at this, and his mouth opened a little in wonder. For half a second, he even contemplated poking at it to see if it bit him. His mind's wandering session was soon cut off, however, as he saw the owner's blade raised high into the air. "I'll show you!!!" he roared. 

Malik's eyes never left the owner's. At the last second he jerked his arm back, pulling the owner's forward into the arc of the weapon, and caught his other wrist as the blade hung literally half a finger from the man's flesh. "I spared you this time," he whispered, his voice chillingly cold. "I'd suggest you let me go quietly." Malik nodded down to his waist, where a dagger hung, glinting as the sun sparkled off it. "Otherwise I may be forced to show you how to use a weapon." 

With a quiet whimper, the stall owner nodded, releasing Malik's hand and putting his sword away. He quite deliberately turned his back to Malik, busying himself with some pots at the back of his stall, and Malik helped himself to the bread happily, softly humming the tune Yugi had been singing. Glancing down, Malik frowned as he saw a carefully prepared piece, ornately shaped, sat at the front corner of the table. "Hey," he called, grabbing the stall owner's attention. 

The terrified man turned round, his eyes wide. "Y… yes?" 

Malik beckoned the man over, who hurriedly obliged, and picked the piece of bread up, pressing it into his hand. "You shouldn't put this so near the front," he cautioned, dropping the other pieces of bread amongst the figs and meat hidden in various pouches and pockets about his person. "Someone might steal it." 

With that, Malik turned and began looking for a stall that sold beer and wine, leaving a very confused owner to stare after him.

* * *

"So Yami, what exactly do you do around the house?" 

Yami looked down at his smaller partner, confusion across his face. His mind had been a million rods away, his thoughts troubling him, and he didn't catch on to what Yugi meant. "Hmm?" 

"Around the house. Bakura said something this morning about earning my keep." Yugi's violet eyes stared up at Yami enquiringly. "What do you do?" 

Yami grinned softly. "I clean." 

Yugi froze mid-step, looking up at Yami with wide, surprised eyes. "You clean?" This concept somehow seemed alien to Yugi. This was the _Pharaoh_, ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, the most powerful man in the world… cleaning? Scrubbing? Yugi just couldn't quite make the connection between the two. 

Yami gave a small nod. "That's right. I get down on my hands and knees and get dirty," he explained, giving Yugi a slight wink, causing the smaller boy to blush. 

Yami couldn't help feeling himself melt slightly at the adorable sight that Yugi cut. Little Yugi; _his_ Yugi, so perfect in so many ways, so adorable, so beautiful, so kind and sweet… Yami smiled softly, gently brushing Yugi's cheek with the backs of his fingers, and felt his heart soar as Yugi leaned softly into the touch. Yes, Yugi was his… Yugi _chose_ to be his, as the Gods themselves had willed… and he was Yugi's too. That was a thought so wonderful, but so humbling, a thought that made Yami feel like the king of the world and as small as the most insignificant bug all at the same time. 

Despite the fact that Yami _knew_ Yugi loved him, and that he knew he loved Yugi as no-one else could, he couldn't help but feel so… inadequate for the boy. He was a mere man; even as Pharaoh, he still shared the same weaknesses as every other man, as he'd shown when Yugi had been taken from him. _

* * *

__Yami stared at his reflection in his mirror, a piece of silver that had been hammered flat until it was smooth and reflective enough to serve its purpose. Out of his Pharaonic clothing, there was nothing to suggest that he was any different to any other man. He ate. He breathed. He loved, and he hurt. Deep down, despite everything he and his people believed, he supposed that, really, he was just any other man. He gazed past himself to the reflected Tomb Robber on his bed. He was just another man too. He loved, and he hurt too. And he had swallowed his pride and asked the Pharaoh for help, for what must have been the most important thing in the world to him._

_"I'll do it."_

* * *

Yes, Yami was just another man. Yugi, on the other hand… Yami sighed softly as he gazed upon Yugi's face, the younger boy's eyes closed in contented bliss. The son of a God… Now that Yami knew, it seemed so obvious to him. Yugi was too perfect to be just any mortal. Too perfect _for_ any mortal. Even a Pharaoh was less than the boy deserved. Yet that was exactly what he asked for… Yami just wished he could allow himself to give it. 

Sighing, Yami tried to push his inner torment aside, and resorted to the only thing he knew that brought him true peace. Leaning forward, he softly pressed his lips up against Yugi's, allowing his hand to drop and slipping them both lightly round Yugi's waist. He felt his heart swell almost to the point of bursting as Yugi returned the kiss without so much as a gasp of surprise, an action that came so naturally to the boy now. Pulling Yugi a little closer, Yami gave a soft sigh as Yugi's arms draped lightly round his neck. To Duat [1] with the fact that they were in the middle of a courtyard right now; Yami felt himself melting in a sheath of ecstasy as his lips meshed with Yugi's, the younger boy having forced Yami's lips apart so their tongues could meet. Softly breaking away, Yami smiled at Yugi, leaning so their foreheads gently touched. "My love," he whispered softly, placing a light kiss on the tip of Yugi's nose. 

Yugi giggled lightly, scrunching his nose up, and smiled up at the Pharaoh. "My only," he returned, lightly pressing a kiss to Yami's lips. With another giggle, he took Yami's hand and began tugging insistently. "Come on," he whined. "I wanna go have a soak!" 

Yami sighed. "I do too, Yugi… after all, I _was_ over halfway there before you called me back!" And that was true enough – quite how Yugi had managed to get him back, particularly when he'd resolved to disobey the boy just that once, was beyond him. He was pretty sure there hadn't been any divine powers involved either. Not that it mattered. 

Holding onto Yugi's hand, the former slave skipping happily by his side, Yami let his cares slip away again as Yugi's playful laughs resonated through his head. The young boy was almost addictive; so delicious, filling him full of deliriously happy thoughts and visions. What did it matter that he didn't have his throne, when he had Yugi? Around Yugi, his world was complete – he had no need for anything else, not even shelter. Speaking of which… 

"Yugi," Yami began, his voice gaining a playful tone. He glanced at the Nile, which they now stood beside. 

"Yami?" 

"What were you planning to do to earn your keep?" 

Yugi pondered this. "Well…" 

With a little whoop of triumph, Yami cut Yugi off, scooping him up over his shoulder bodily. Ignoring the little one's furious squeaks of protest, Yami stood at the river edge. "Think faster!" 

Yugi grinned. He already knew what was coming; he'd heard that phrase numerous times before – and also knew how to defend against it. As Yami launched the petite youth, Yugi caught hold of his shoulders, gripping onto Yami's cloak tightly. A cry of surprise resonated across the water as both teens fell in with a mighty splash, a few water fowl bobbing for safety as the two emerged with their hair plastered to their face. Parting the strands that obstructed his vision, Yugi giggled at Yami, who was stood pouting with his arms folded. 

Huffing, Yami glared at Yugi and narrowed his eyes. "You," he stated, a grin crossing his lips as he waded closer to Yugi. "Are so dead…"

* * *

[1] Duat – as you may recall from chapter one, Duat is the ancient Egyptian underworld (i.e. hell)

* * *

Well, there ya go people! Please review! 


	6. Revelations for Masika

Hey again all! Nice quick update this time! *grins happily* See? I _can_ learn!  
Hyfen: Now if we could only teach you to play dead...  
V.V He's so ice to me *sniffle* Anyways, here's the reviews... even if there were significantly less than usual... Oh, and special thanks to koori-chan for beta-reading the last couple of chpaters!

To ObiWanGirl: Whee! Lovvu chappie! *huggle* Here's the update!  
To Taddybear: *grins* Very hot ^_^ Glad ya enjoyed!  
To Yugi-obsessed: Here ya go  
To Pan-Chan83: Yaoi site? Me first to look? ...COOLIES!!! *grins widely* Glad ya like this fic so much, hope this chapter lives up to scratch!  
To One Winged Tenshi: *grins* A bit of Nile scene in this for ya ^_^ Hope ya enjoy!  
To trekkie-54: *grins* yes, a daily dose of fluff is very important! And I updated as soon as I could for ya!  
To Dutchess Murasaki: Yes, you credit-hog, it was you *grins* Needed it though! can't wait for the fic! Glad ya liked that last chappie too!

**Promises of Ryou and Bakura lemon and lime scenes have been proven to make Bazu work faster!**

To Smarty1: Here ya go!  
To Miami-chan: Here ya go!  
To DarkWolf193: Happy belated birthday! *huggle*  
To CrazyAboutYugi: Glad ya like it!  
To 'Ling Ling': *snigger* Else what? Nyah, no need to find out!  
To Dark-AmethystUnicorn: Hello again ^_^ *snigger* Reonet's still the same then? Heh, she'll probably like this one for a lil bit at least ^_^ Glad you're takin the time to review now! *huggle*  
To Hatshepsut: Pharaoh of Kemet: O.O Wow... you're reviewing my fic? I must say, I've heard great things about you! *bows deeply* Thank you so much for the kind words! Drop me an emailand I'l have a look at your stuff once I've clawed through my current 'to read' list! Many thanks for the review!  
To Chaotic Bystander: *grins and huggles back happily* Glad ya like it!  
To rebelphoenix: *grins with a big sweatdrop* ^_^V I tink you'll find stuff to criticise this time... I hope you do!  
To blazing kodachi: *grins* Ya know ya love 'em really, deep down!  
To Shade25: Don't worry, plot will develop! *grin* Much much-ness to come soon!  
To Ashu-chan: *grins* Here's the update for ya! *winks and subtly points to note* Take care!  
To RavenWulf: *grins* So many wanna know about the goat! Maybe we'll find out ^_^  
To Bluey-chan: ^_^ *huggles back* Glad ya liked! Here's another chappie! To Anna: Whee! *huggle* Glad ya like it! *grins* Everyone wants damage for Set *snigger* Just have to wait and see!  
To yamiyugifanadic: *grins* I'm glad to have fans like you! Hope you enjoy this!

This chapter is dedicated to my Yugi. You know who you are, and you know how much you mean to me. But this time, it's my turn to be Yugi. Take his words to heart.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Yugi gave a small squeal of terror as Yami began to make his way toward him, turning and splashing out into the river in the hope of escaping. Of course, as you move nearer the middle, it gets deeper… a fact Yugi had forgotten at that moment.

Stopping as he realised the water was now up to his chest, Yugi turned round and fixed imploring, wide eyes on Yami. "Truce?" he asked hopefully.

"No chance," came the chuckled reply. "I don't really think you're in a position to negotiate, little one."

Giving a small 'eep' of fear, Yugi began to move sideways, hoping to get around Yami and back to the bank before he could get caught. Needless to say, this plan failed miserably, and he soon found himself pinned up against Yami's body, the Pharaoh having removed his cloak and netted Yugi with it, pulling him in.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Masika hummed softly as she skipped along the beaten path, the tune being one her grandmother had taught her a long time ago. She was in unusually high spirits today, and hadn't even bothered grumbling about how she and the other trainees had to bathe in the Nile every day while Set – she refused to acknowledge his full title – was permitted to bathe in luxury, in none other than the Pharaoh's personal bath. For some reason she couldn't fathom, the sun seemed brighter, the birds louder and the air sweeter than usual today, almost as if the Gods were especially pleased about something. Maybe, she considered with a small giggle, they'd found Set's bad day yesterday as amusing as she had.

Allowing herself to bounce to a halt, scuffing some dust up around her white cloak, Masika stopped to inspect the berries on a nearby bush. They certainly looked tempting, she mused as she reached out and delicately took two of the purple berries lightly between her fingers, examining them.

Masika shook her head and flounced away. Not ripe, and at any rate she didn't trust the berries from that particular type of bush. One of her friends had had some before, and – though it hadn't exactly been poisoning of any description – she'd wound up feeling very poorly. No, stick with what you know. If it's not broken, don't fix it. That was the way their entire nation's society worked, and that was what she intended to keep to. After all, if the philosophy didn't work, they wouldn't be so powerful now, would they?

Masika stopped skipping once again, her ears pricking up as she heard a voice from the other side of the bushes. It sounded almost like the Pharaoh, who she hadn't seen for a long time, excepting that there was a younger boy with whoever it was. And since Yugi had died, she reasoned, there was no way the Pharaoh would be with a younger boy. She'd seen how much it had torn him apart – there was no way he'd love anyone else.

Curiosity, however, got the better of her, and she tentatively parted the bushes, poking the smallest amount of her head through that was possible. Peering out, she scanned the river quickly, hoping to catch sight of whoever it was.

"I don't really think you're in a position to negotiate, little one."

Masika's head snapped round to face where the voice had come from, unconsciously leaning further forward as she did so, and a small gasp escaped her lips. It _was_ the Pharaoh… and he definitely had someone with him. Whoever it was was currently being pulled up against him in his cloak, giggling happily. Masika sighed softly, feeling her heart sink – she really had thought that the Pharaoh had been in love with Yugi… but apparently he wasn't that different from most other men.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Yami smiled down at his love, gazing deeply into his eyes. "And now for your punishment," he whispered, leaning down slowly. Yugi obligingly tilted his head up to meet the Pharaoh, and the two's lips soon met, a soft moan rolling through Yugi as he felt the cloak being lowered so his head was now free. It draped across his upper back, pulling him more tightly against Yami, and he slipped his arms round the Pharaoh's shoulders, smiling as he felt the Pharaoh moan at the gentle contact.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Masika almost squealed in surprise as the cloak lowered, revealing the younger boy, catching the sound in her throat at the last moment. She felt her breathing pick up slightly as the enormity of what – or more precisely, who – she'd just seen began to sink in. Her knees began weakening, and she slowly began tipping forward. At that moment, her arms - which had been holding the bush apart - were already too far behind her to be able to stop herself in time, and she cringed as she dropped, bracing herself for the impact.

Only the impact never came. Suddenly suspended in mid-air, Masika allowed one trembling eyelid to lift slightly, and saw that she had, indeed, stopped falling. Blinking curiously, it slowly dawned on her that her cloak had apparently snagged on the bushes, holding her up. With a small laugh, she tried to spin round so she could untangle herself, reaching over one shoulder and flapping vainly at whatever had caught her. Growling in frustration as it time and again evaded her fingertips, Masika began scrabbling at the air, her swings getting wilder and wilder.

"Do you want me to let go, or are you intent on clawing my arm off first?"

Masika's chest suddenly hitched, and she froze mid-swing, her eyes wide as she stared at the ground in front of her in horror. Who had just caught her? How long had he been watching her? What if he was a molester? What if he had a weapon? She couldn't scream for help, that might make the Pharaoh come over, and it could endanger him… but she was in danger too…

Breathing in shakily, Masika swallowed hard, and finally managed to find her voice. However, she was unable to do anything useful with it. "P… Please, don't hurt me," she whispered, silently praying to every God listening that he'd listen.

The owner of the male voice noticeably paused, and sounded almost surprised when he finally did speak. "If I'd wanted you hurt, I wouldn't have caught you."

Masika felt herself gradually being lifted up, the stranger taking his time so as not to scare her or throw her off-balance, and she held onto the bushes for support as she was nearly vertical. Once on her feet, she stared at the floor once again, not even daring to turn round. "Uhm… than… thankyou… I…"

"You were watching the Pharaoh, weren't you?" The sentence was spoken as a questioning statement, rather than as an accusation – the stranger knew she had been, and apparently didn't seem too bothered by it. He just wanted her to admit or deny it, so he could form a quick opinion of her.

"I… I… yes…" Masika replied, hanging her head shamefully.

"You're from the palace, aren't you?"

Masika spun round in surprise. "How did you know-?"

And stopped again. The figure behind her really wasn't the big, strong, threatening man she'd been expecting.

"My name's Lateef," he answered, as if it were a reply to the question.

"Uh... I'm… I'm Masu…" Masika replied, immediately mentally kicking herself for telling this stranger her special nickname.

Lateef nodded, smiling. "How about we give the Pharaoh and Yugi some peace? I guess you've got a few questions."

Again, Masika's eyes widened in surprise. "Yugi? It's really him???"

Lateef gave a small laugh. "Yup. In the flesh. Care for an explanation?"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Yami grinned as the kiss parted. "We've been seen, you know."

Yugi looked round, splashing the water about him in his startled panic, but saw no-one. He turned back to Yami, his wet hair swinging about as it spun behind him. "Where?"

Yami grinned. "Masika. You may remember her from the palace. She's gone now."

Yugi bit his lip and looked up at Yami, concern in his eyes. "Would she…?"

Yami smiled again. "No, the secret's safe… though she's probably dying to ask questions." Yami knew Masika, as he did the other trainees, fairly well. Being as they were treated as priests, they spent a lot of time in contact with him, and Masika had spoken to him quite often. Always curious, always smiling, and always careful about what she said to anyone. When he said the secret was safe, he was certain. Leaning down to kiss Yugi again, Yami murmured softly, "It's not like it matters now anyway," before trapping Yugi's linen-soft lips under his own, the two boys melting into each other once again.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Masika's eyes widened. She really couldn't believe it. "So he's back?"

"Yes."

"For good?"

"For the foreseeable future, at any rate."

Masika sat silent again, contemplating and digesting all that had been told to her. Yugi was back, or so this Lateef said. She'd seen what was apparently him, right in front of her own eyes. But then, she'd seen him murdered in front of her own eyes too. "…the son of a God?"

"That's right."

"But… Set… he…"

Lateef noticed Masika's hand fisting by her side. "I know," he whispered in a soft, reassuring tone. "And I'm sure he'll pay for it. But they're together again now, and I've never known the Pharaoh to be happier."

Masika glanced up at Lateef, a gentle sparkle in her eyes. "…really?"

"Definitely."

*~*~*~*~*~*

With a faint sigh, Yami broke away from his and Yugi's kiss, smiling down at the younger boy. Gods, how he loved him… and yet…

"Yami? Is something wrong?" Yugi looked up at his love with concern written deep in his violet eyes, seeking an answer from the Pharaoh. "You sounded so…" Yugi supposed 'sad' was the closest word, but… it wasn't quite that. There was more than that. Somehow his smile gave the same emotion as that sigh.

Yami met Yugi's eyes, and he knew he couldn't bring himself to lie to the boy, no matter what. He could feel his heart beginning to tear as he tried to begin to speak, and bit his lip softly. "Yugi… I love you so much… and yet…"

"But Yami," Yugi whispered, laying one hand on the Pharaoh's chest. "I love you too."

"Yugi," Yami continued, holding one hand up and sighing deeply. "I don't deserve you… you're the son of a God, and I'm only a man. You should have so much more than me, and I-"

"Yami!" Yugi interrupted, sounding almost cross, though his expression softened instantly. "Yami, when I was a slave, did I deserve you, even though we didn't know I was the son of a God?"

"Yes, Yugi. Even then, you still deserved everything you could ever want, and-"

Yugi cut Yami off again. "Then why does it matter now?" He stepped a little closer to the Pharaoh, and rested his head on his chest. "Do I still deserve everything I want?"v "Yes."

"All I want is you, Yami. I don't care about whether I'm the son of Ra or Osiris or Amun or any of them. I'd give that up for you at the drop of a coin." Yugi looked up at Yami, a faint trace of tears in his eyes. "You're all I want, and you're more than good enough for me. Pharaoh or not, slave or God, we've always been good enough for eachother." Yugi ducked his head down again, one tear trickling from his eye as he spoke his heart. "Yami… please don't doubt… don't doubt us, or our future… don't doubt yourself… I love you, and you deserve me for that, if not for everything else."

Yami stared down at Yugi, forcibly choking back a lump that had formed in his throat. "Yugi…" Yami was utterly stunned. He hadn't expected Yugi to be so… "I…"

"Shhh, Yami…" Yugi whispered, nuzzling his cheek against the Pharaoh's chest. "You deserve me, deserve so much more than me. And you'll always have me."

Yami stood silent, his arms wrapping round Yugi and pulling the boy close. He felt tears slip down his face, and sniffled softly, burying his face in the boy's hair. "Yugi," he choked. "I'm sorry… sorry for saying that… Gods, I love you so much…"

Yami felt a faint nod from the boy in his arms, and heard a slight sniff from him, realising he was crying too. "I love you too Yami, equal by measure. Always…"

The two stood there, crying silently in each other's arms, and a single thought ran through Yugi's mind. 'Somehow, I'll show you just how much you really mean to me…'

*~*~*~*~*~*

*whew* So there's that and al there is to it! Good? Bad? Mediocre? Boring? Please let me know, methinx Bazu ish in need of constructive criticisms!!! 


	7. Vows

Hey again all! Another chapter of much niceness up for you! I actually sat and typed this up at work, since the network system's down... but that doesn't matter!  
A few people now have requested a Bakura x Malik lemon or lime... Now, unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to include one in this story - I don't believe in including them for the sake of it, and I can't see a way right now to write a relevant one in. Since I do love that pairing though, what I might do instead is to do a one-shot using that pairing - maybe of their first night together or something. What do you all think? Be sure to let me know, either in review, email or chat!

Reviews!

To Shadowspecter: Currently your fave? *grins brightly* Wow, thanks! And yeah, Yugi is so adorable! ^_^ Hope you enjoy this one!  
To Hijiri Hitokiri Battousai: *grins* But fluff is good, right? Don't worry, I don't _think_ this chapter'll completely fluff you over... it shouldn't, anyways! ^_^'  
To Trekkie-54: *grins* Honestly, using school time to read fanfics... I'd never do such a thing... *glances at his third sentence* Heh... okay, maybe I would ^_^'Bazu make it shine!  
To Hatshepsut: Pharaoh of Kemet: *grins* Yeah, I'm a softy too when it comes to fluffy bits ^_^ I loved writing that part! And thank you very much for the kind words *bows* I'll get onto your fics when I come to them in my list... the list is rather extensive, at times...  
To Ame: *blinks and laughs* Fluffy pink nekos? *giggles* I'd be right in guessing you liked that then? Well, here's some more from the current favourites! ^_^  
To Shade25: *huggles* Nyuuu! Not useless! Your reviews are very highly valued, even if you can't offer constructive criticism! I mean, no reviews = sad Bazu = no updates, ne?  
To rebelphoenix: Happy belated birthday, m'dear! And would I be right in thinking you wanna see Lateef and Masika paired up? *chuckles* Not the only one, it seems... hope you enjoy!  
To Yugi-obsessed: *grins* Oh don't worry, I'm sure Yugi'll find his way to do it!  
To Blazing Kodachi: One simple word. Typo. That was actually my fault, I think. It probably crept in after I sent it to be beta'd. Bloody great, ain't I?  
To Insane Pineapple from Naboo: *grins and blushes* Nyah, I ain't the most wonderful ever... there's still so so so many that I look up to. But thanks for the kind words!  
To Obiwangirl: Yeah, I thought that it mighta been a bit short... but no, you can't really comment on that, can you? *laughs* Aww, wuv ya really!  
To Dutchess Murasaki: *hides* Nyuu! Not yet! I have a good time and place and plan for that, but it's not happening yet! *squeaks* No kill Bazu?  
To '#1 Fan': *grins* Thanks ^_^ Here's your update!  
To yugiyamifanadic: *smiles* Yeah, criticisms do help Bazu get off his butt and improve things, so they're always welcome if you get any!  
To silver_fox20: hehe... yeah, romance was great that chapter ^_^ *huggles Yugi and Yami, then pushes them together* Everybody saw aww!  
To One Winged Tenshi: *laughs and hugs happily* Got a fan here! *giggles* Thanks for the comments!  
To Chaotic Bystander: Hell yeah!  
To DarkWolf193: Thanks! Here ya go!  
To Taddybear: *laughs* Do hope your boyfriend didn't think you were too weird! *puffs* Men... they jus dun appreciate this stuff...  
To Abi2: Whee! New reader! *huggle* Glad ya like! ^_^  
To Bi Panda: *laughs* Nyu, not every chappie is gonna be sex! If ya want that, go read First Christmas by phwee? yami hobo, that's a whole lemon tree! Here's more anyways!  
To Miami-chan: Here ya go!  
To Dark-AmethystUnicorn: *giggles* Glad yas both liked it ^_^ Got more of them this chappie! *blinks* And you actually misspelled Reonet's name...  
To Bluebolt: Ah yes, I already emailed you, ne? Well, thanks once again!

**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO BLUEBOLT, FOR HER REVIEW WHICH ACTUALLY GOT ME BACK INTO GEAR!!! EVERYONE WORSHIP HER!!!**

To 'Ling Ling': Thank you! *bows* Here's your update!  
To Tahirah: *blinks* Interesting... I like Rolos ^_^ And here's more for ya! To 'markyc58': *goes wide-eyed and blushes* Gee... thanks! #^_^'# I'm glad you enjoyed the first one enough to come and read this anyway! And thank you so much for all your kind words!  
To Smarty1: Yeah, ish all velcro candy! (Sticky sweet *winks*) here's more!  
To keitaro: *nods* Many thanks for the criticisms there! I don't plan to throw in masses of limes and lemons, since I'd prefer to focus on the storyline itself, but like I said at the beginning, I am contemplating the B\M lime\lemon scene. Thanks once again!  
To tamachan444: *smiles* Thanks. It's so easy for sequels to mess up, isn't it? Glad ya like this one!  
To Anna: Yup, everyone here seems to like them! ^_^ I know I do!

And now, on with the fic!

*~*~*~*~*~*

Their morning 'soak' done, Yugi and Yami walked hand in hand through the marketplace, Yami browsing the stalls and Yugi gazing adoringly up at him, resting his head against Yami's arm whenever the taller stopped to examine something.

"So Yugi…" Yami began, picking up a jug of beer. "What were you actually planning to do at Bakura's house?" Yami opened the jug he was holding and sniffed at it. "_Gods_!" he cried, pulling it away from his nose and plugging the jug quickly. "Did they forget to clean the manure off the Barley when they made this or something?"

Yugi giggled slightly and sighed. "I don't know," he murmured. "Malik shops… kind of… you clean… I don't know what else I could do…" Yugi looked a little glum at this. He didn't expect Bakura to bend the rules for him, nor would he ask him to. Living on the street, he could cope with, but he didn't want Yami out there with him. On the other hand, he doubted he'd be able to keep his spirits up very long without Yami beside him. If only he was actually good for something…

"Can you cook?"

Yami and Yugi both jumped almost out of their skins at the sudden appearance of a third voice, then looked to their right. They saw Malik stood beside them, a couple of jars almost imperceptibly disappearing from the table as he nodded a greeting to them. "Well, Yugi?"

"Can I cook?" Yugi asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah," the sun-blonde boy replied. "You know… bake bread, cook meat, prepare the figs, that sort of stuff."

Yugi looked a little doubtful. He'd seen it done in the palace lots of times, and had tried his hand when he got a chance, but he hadn't exactly had thorough lessons. "Well… I'm not great… but I've done it a couple of times…"

"Perfect," Malik chirpily replied, flashing a smile to the stall keeper, who had just turned round. "Bakura won't cook, Yami here physically _can't_…" Malik sniggered as the Pharaoh glared at him, just daring him to mention any of his previous failed attempts at cooking – such as the now-legendary attempt at goat stew. "…so that just leaves me." Malik made his voice softer, speaking with an air of one who has long suffered. "What with shopping and cooking and tending to Bakura's needs in the evenings…" Yami and Malik both sniggered as Yugi blushed adorably at this reference, fidgeting slightly. "…I never have any time to myself." Malik pressed one forearm to his forehead, arching back slightly and dramatically flinging his other arm out. "No-one understands the needs of a tomb robber's lover… to them I'm just a simple little housewife… househusband… maid…" he finished lamely. With a grin, he returned to his usual cheerful attitude, another jug disappearing as soon the stall keeper turned his back, shaking his head at Malik's theatrics. "So what do you think Yugi? Care to give it a shot?" Malik sneaked a peek into his robes, seeing how much more room he had.

Yugi mulled this over in his head briefly. "I can try, I guess," he said uncertainly, blinking. "I haven't got any better ideas."

Malik nodded. "Glad that's settled then. And Yami," he continued with an air of suffering once more. "Firstly, you don't need to buy beer, or wine, and secondly… will you _please_ stop sniffing them? It's most undignified, and they never smell right in the jugs anyway!"

Yami mumbled something in his defence about preferring the taste of certain beers before setting the jug down. With a quick roll of his eyes, he turned round and pulled Yugi up against him, the younger giggling happily. "So that's you sorted then," he remarked, leaning down to lightly kiss Yugi's forehead. Yugi nodded, his eyes shining brightly as he smiled up at his love. He couldn't begin to say how happy he was that they wouldn't have to be separated, or made to live on the street. Yugi couldn't help thinking he'd already dragged Yami down once, when he'd been executed and Yami's life had gone into turmoil. Now, as long as he proved to be a moderately good cook, he wouldn't do it again. With an airy lightness in their hearts, the three set off once more, aiming for the next stall which seemed to have various clay works from Greece for sale.

"Malik!"

The fair-haired boy turned as he heard his name being called, his face breaking into a wide grin as he saw Bakura running across the square. Before he had a chance to call his reply, Malik found a white-haired missile in his arms, Bakura's momentum knocking them both to the ground with a small laugh. Quickly planting a firm kiss on Malik's cheek, Bakura sprung to his feet and waved briefly to the other two, extending his other hand to help Malik up.

"So what was that for?" Malik asked, a pout on his face despite the evident laughter in his voice as he rubbed his bruised behind.

Bakura shrugged. "Just glad to see you. Oh, and I think I'm ready to work on that weapon, so I'll need you to buy me a couple of extra bits…"

As Bakura spoke to Malik, Yami returned his focus to his own love, rubbing his nose against Yugi's with a happy smile. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Yugi… especially after what Set had done. Yami scowled momentarily at this thought, his hatred for Set flaring up, but a quick glance into Yugi's bright, adoring eyes softened his heart again. Lightly pressing his lips to Yugi's, Yami smiled and whispered, "I love you, little one."

"Love you too… Pharaoh," Yugi replied with a small giggle.

Yami smiled, and was about to add more when a distant humming sound caught his attention. He frowned slightly, pondering, before he turned to Malik. "What's that noise?"

"That?" he asked, looking up somewhat surprised. Tilting his head, he nodded slightly. It was an all too familiar sound nowadays. "Execution."

"What?"

"It's an execution," Bakura explained. "That's the hum of the crowd you can hear. They always gather like vultures, increasingly more often since you left the throne."

Yami looked down, his face half thoughtful and half angry. "Where?"

"Hmm?"

"Where would the execution be?"

Malik had been about to point out that Yami should know that, but thought that maybe he wouldn't appreciate being reminded. Sometimes, Malik swiftly decided, the past is better left untouched. He instead pointed in the direction of the main City Square, which used to be used solely for public meetings and festivals. Since Set, however, things had changed a little.

Malik protested as Yami suddenly began striding purposefully toward the square, hurrying to catch up beside him. "Hey! Where're you going?" In truth, Malik already knew. It was just one of those sentences that came out oddly. 'Where are you going?' actually meant 'Why are you going there?'

Yami's face was set hard as Yugi scurried along beside him, concern in his eyes. "I want to see if Set's there today," he stated. "We've still got to settle our differences."

Ignoring Malik's further protests, Yami strode onward until he was in the Main Square, stood at the edge of the crowd, with Yugi and Bakura hurrying to catch him and Malik up. Up on the platform, Set was yelling something at his guards – something was loose, or so it seemed. Yami felt his rage building as his eyes locked onto his nemesis, but before he could do anything a distantly familiar voice next to him floated across.

"She's from the palace… she's one of the Pharaoh's slaves…"

Yami's ears pricked up, and he turned to see who was speaking. A young girl whom he recognised from the palace, Masika, was stood there, dressed in a white cloak with shoulder-length, sun-bleached hair swaying lightly in the gentle breeze. It had definitely been her he saw at the river, so if nothing else he was certain Yugi's return wouldn't get to Set's ears any sooner.

"Who is she?" asked a second voice, which Yami recognised as Lateef's. Yami was surprised to see him and the girl stood so close… _everyone_ was stood close in this crowd, but those two seemed...

Yami mentally shrugged, instead looking round the rest of the crowd. He still couldn't understand what the morbid public fascination at executions was… but then, he supposed most of them hadn't lost someone important to them at one.

"Her name's Beketaten," Masika replied, her voice quiet, almost regretful. "She upset Set a couple of days ago when she refused to use the Pharaoh's personally inscribed tray to give him figs… She said it was like claiming he was the Pharaoh himself."

Lateef nodded. "I can believe he reacted like that." And he meant it – the whole nation knew that Set wasn't exactly the most just ruler the two lands had ever known.

Yugi gave a small gasp as he caught what was being said, and rushed over. "What did you say her name was?" he asked the girl, tugging lightly at her sleeve as his eyes widened in horror. He couldn't believe it… Beketaten had been the first slave to befriend him, and his closest friend (other than Yami) during his whole time in the palace. Had their ages been a little closer, she could have been his sister. They'd shared secrets – he'd even hinted about him and Yami to her – and had spent many a quiet moment away from the guards giggling over silly nothings. Stupid little things like that, that only friends could do, he did with her all the time. In fact, it was with her help that he'd been brave enough to make physical love to Yami, with her saying how gentle he was and revealing some secrets. He owed so much to her… Surely, _surely_ this girl hadn't just said Beketaten…?

Masika recognised the look in his eyes, and simply nodded. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Yugi turned away, feeling sick, and almost fell into Yami's arms, tears pricking at the corner of his eye. It wasn't possible… poor Beketaten… Yugi swallowed a lump in his throat, and felt his knees going weak. He leaned heavily against Yami, seeking a safe haven from the harsh cruelty of the world he had already left behind once. It was so unfair… Beketaten didn't deserve this…

"Malik," Yami stated, softly stroking his love's hair. "Look after Yugi for me. I'm going to stop Set."

As Malik went to take Yugi into his arms, the smaller boy shook his head furiously. "Don't," he whispered, his voice choked. "Don't do it… it won't help…"

"But… Yugi…" Yami said softly, surprised by the little one's reaction. "What do you…?"

Yugi shook his head. "I don't know. But please don't. It won't help." Yugi didn't know _how_ he knew it wouldn't, or why… but something inside him knew it. Even if Yami did pull off the physically impossible and stopped Set now, Beketaten would die tonight anyhow. And if she was rescued now, it'd disturb what little Ma'at [1] existed at this moment in time.

Yami gave a gentle nod, and turned to glare at Set from afar. "I will get you," he hissed quietly. "It's not over."

Bakura saw the look in the Pharaoh's eyes, and nodded slowly to himself. He really meant to get revenge. Burning cold fire – that was all that could describe his eyes. Cold as the ice that was rumoured to exist in distant lands, harsh and unforgiving, but at the same time burning with a fury that so few men had ever known. Bakura, at that moment, mentally took the same oath as Yami. They were friends now… and they would be linked by a common cause once again.

Gently, Yami led Yugi – who was now sobbing loudly – away, closely followed by Malik and Bakura, both glaring sullenly over their shoulder at the scene behind them from tie to time. Lateef and Masika both lingered, unsure of whether to follow or not, until Lateef turned to his new friend. "Masu…" he uttered gently, a soft sheen in his eyes. Yugi's display of emotion had affected him too. He knew what having those close to you taken away was like. "Do you still want to talk to him?"

Masika paused for a moment, then nodded, her hair bouncing lightly about her shoulders. "It's not like Set'll notice I'm missing for a while yet," she added almost bitterly, biting her lip. "I don't particularly want to see this either."

Lateef gave a small nod and, taking Masika by the hand, led her through the crowd, following the thin path left in his friends' wake.

*~*~*~*~*~*

[1] Ma'at – as well as being the Goddess of justice and truth, Ma'at was also the key concept behind the Egyptian religion and way of life. Ma'at was the belief in the perfect universal balance – every action had an equal, and when every equal was found, the world would be perfect. Feel free to chat with me about this, I love discussing it!

*~*~*~*~*~*

Heh... another one down. Hit the lil review button... pretty please? *turns chibimafied, pulls puppy-eyes and bats eyelashes at readers* Remember, I need you all for my grand target! You all count! 


	8. Dark visitations

*yawn* Bazu ish tired right now... and this update is late, so I don't have time to do the usual massive reviews reply... So thank you EVERYONE *snuggles* for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*~*~*~*~*~*

The mood in Bakura's main room wasn't the most pleasant in Egypt. Sadness; anger; injustice and raw hatred all permeated the area, filling every nook and cranny as each of the six in the room reflected on what they'd seen that day. Lateef and Masika sat beside each other on the floor, knees drawn halfway up to their chest and arms draped lightly round their legs. The look on Masika's face was one of concern for Yugi, as well as the underlying sadness for Beketaten, and Lateef seemed to be worlds away, his eyes vacant as he stared absently at the floor in front of him, chewing his lip as he wrestled with whatever thoughts were running through his mind at that moment.

Bakura and Malik were both sat on their favoured stuffed sacks, Malik's head resting lightly against Bakura's shoulder as he shuffled a little closer. Despite his 'strike to kill' fighting style, executions had always sickened him. In battle, you at least had a chance to defend yourself. Executions – especially with the alarming frequency they were being carried out under Set's rule – were a very different matter. It was just so… wrong, the reasons some of those people were being killed for. Beketaten was just another one added to the list, as far as Set was concerned. What did it matter to him if he killed someone simply because he didn't get his way, much like a spoilt child?

Bakura also disapproved of executions, especially since he'd seen how the Pharaoh had reacted to Yugi's death. Until that point, he'd never stopped to consider that, for every person killed, there was always someone left behind to mourn the loss – perhaps even whole families. Until then, executions had just been a way of punishing a criminal. Now he saw them for what they really were – not only a means of punishing the guilty, but also of punishing their family and friends. He couldn't understand it – why did such an advanced race of people have to resort to such brutal measures?

Yugi was sat on Yami's lap, still sobbing quietly, his muffled sniffs and hiccups the only sound in the room. He didn't _want_ to cry, to drag the others down, but he couldn't help it. Not only was Beketaten such a close friend to him, she also symbolised so much about him and Yami. She'd been there from the beginning, and had been the most help either of them had received. She had helped Yugi feel more confident around the Pharaoh, and that in turn had helped bring them closer together. Yugi buried his face more deeply into Yami's chest as another sniffle escaped him, and clung on more tightly.

Yami was the only person in the room not subdued by the execution. Even with Yugi in his arms, the boy hugged protectively close to him, Yami's face was adorned by a fierce scowl, the Pharaoh not caring about hiding his mood. Set… How dare he? How could he do such a thing? How could he abuse his power like that? And why did no-one stop him?

His crimson eyes burning a blood-red fire, his teeth gritted, all Yami could think about was the day he would finally avenge all the wrongful deaths Set had caused.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Yami sneered down at the cowering High Priest. His lip split, his clothes bloodied and ragged and his arm torn open, Set trembled in Yami's awesome presence. The Pharaoh's very spirit burned with bloodlust like never before, and his fists kept clenching and unclenching by his side. His eyes were laced with a murderous fury more feral than even the beasts of the desert, and the snarl across his face drove an ice-cold knot of fear into the pit of Set's stomach. Yami ignored his surroundings; ignored the guards taunting Set; ignored the shrieks of the priesthood to consider his actions. All that existed was him and the villain on the floor before him, begging for his life. Soon, those numbers would be reduced… but first of all the High Priest had to pay. For killing Beketaten; for murdering Yugi; for butchering countless civilians; for each of his crimes, the High Priest would be called to account. With no power to hide behind, no mercenaries to defend him, and no supporters ready to rush to his aid, Set was staring his end right in the eye. Yami's eye.

"_Set_," the Pharaoh hissed, his words dripping venomous fury. "_Do you have any idea what curses you have brought upon yourself_?"

The addressed shook his head, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as he attempted to think of something – _anything_ – he could say that might spare his life.

"Let me tell you," the Pharaoh growled, taking a step closer to the cringing figure. "You killed my love. You besmirched his name. You defied the Gods. You defied your Pharaoh. You took my throne and used your power to bring this nation to its knees. For all this, you shall be called to explain three times." Yami's pace swiftly picked up, and he closed the gap between him and the High Priest before driving his foot into the side of Set's face. "WHY?" he bellowed, grabbing Set's hair and yanking him off the floor high enough that he might see his own blood dripping there.

The High Priest, gasping and choking, tried to come up with some sort of defence. "I…"

With a disgusted snarl, Yami threw Set back onto the floor, a dull thud resonating as Set's head struck the cobbles beneath him. The High Priest barely had time enough for his vision to return before he felt a sharp blow to his chin, his head snapping back and a trail of blood spraying across the floor as he rolled over.

"WHY?" Yami screamed again. "WHY DID YOU DO IT, SET?"

The High Priest moaned, weakly trying to climb to his feet. He was no longer coherent of his surroundings. All he knew was that he hurt badly, and that a deep instinct was telling him he'd be in danger if he didn't get up now.

"_WELL_?" Again Yami lashed out, his foot driving into Set's midsection, and the Priest weakly exhaled what little air he had in him. Curling into the foetal position, winded, Set choked, and a small trail of blood came from the corner of his mouth.

"Don't you see _Set_?" Yami snarled at the broken figure. "There was no reason. You cannot justify your actions. You never _will_ be able to." Again, the High Priest, reacting purely on natural intuition, tried to get up, that he might defend himself. "I…"

Yami's eyes flashed angrily, the blood-red fire becoming an all-enveloping sea of crimson fury as Set tried to talk. "DON'T!" he roared, bringing his fist down into the back of Set's head, the force of the punch making Set's head crack off the stone floor once again. "DO YOU REALLY THINK _ANYTHING_ YOU SAY WILL JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS?"

Yami's tone calmed suddenly, and his voice became low. Somehow, this was even more threatening than his yelling. It showed he was in complete control. It promised Set's demise. "Never, Set," he whispered. "Never will the people of this land forgive you. You will be scorned and hated for all eternity." A soft hiss of wood running across fabric was heard in the now-silent room as Yami pulled his axe from his cloak. "This…" he stated. "Was the axe I tried to rescue Yugi with. I failed that time… but now, it will taste your blood." He shifted the axe in his hand to a more suitable grip. "I shan't allow you any last words, Set. Your tongue has already hurt my land enough."

With that, the blade of the axe rose high, and swept down in a glittering arc.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Pharaoh?"

Slowly, Yami slipped out of his daydream as an insistent voice crept in and disturbed him.

"Pharaoh?"

Blinking a couple of times, coming back to reality, Yami's eyes focussed on the room again. Glancing round, he tried to work out who was calling him.

"Oi, Pharaoh!"

Bakura. No doubting that.

"Finally decided to join us, have you?"

Yami managed a weak smile. "Sorry, I was just thinking…"

Bakura didn't need to ask what he was thinking about. The look in his eye – the atmosphere he'd been giving off – had been more than enough to guess. "When do you think you'll do it?"

"Hmm?"

Masika continued, explaining on Bakura's behalf. "What he means, Pharaoh Yamises, is that he was wondering when you were planning on returning to the throne, now that you've got Yugi back?"

Yami bowed his head slightly. "I really don't know," he whispered. And he really meant it too. "I'm happy here," he murmured. "Outside of the palace, life is so much easier. I have friends here, I have no pressure from others around me. I can be what I want; _who_ I want, and no one cares. No one cares if I love Yugi. No one cares if I pass comment on a rival nation. No one cares if I decide I don't want to do anything that day. All that power means nothing to me," he stated, staring at the floor. "Ruling a kingdom is far from the life of luxury it's made out to be. Having known both worlds, I want this one. I want to be here, with Yugi and everyone else…"

Masika softly spoke again. "But… Pharaoh… what about Set?"

Yami remained silent for a while, brooding on this thought. As much as he didn't care about being Pharaoh, he still loved his land and all the people in it. And he was the only one who could do anything to Set – the only one who could claim to have any right to. "He's slowly destroying this nation from the inside, isn't he?" Yami slowly murmured, not expecting or getting an answer from anyone. "He's so bent on his own power that he can't see what he's doing to everyone else."

"Or doesn't care," Bakura added darkly.

Yami nodded silently. He'd have to take the throne back, he realised. He owed at least that much to the people of this land – the people who accepted his ruling over them without so much as a question, never condemning his mistakes or asking whether he really deserved that power. The people of the land loved him as much as he did them.

"I don't know," he repeated – but this time, there was a definite aggressive edge to his voice, an edge that betrayed the fact that he _was_ going to do it at some point. It was beyond a doubt.

Yami would be Pharaoh once more.

*~*~*~*~*~*

For a while, everyone sat in silence, brooding on their own personal thoughts. Even Yugi was now quiet, his tears having faded as he sat snuggled up to Yami. Eventually – much to the later surprise of the others – Lateef was the one who broke the tranquillity.

"Yugi," he murmured thoughtfully, his eyes still maintaining that distant expression. When you were in the Hall of Judgement… did they not say anything about your father at all?"

The addressed boy shook his head, Yami jerking his head back to avoid getting slapped by one of the spikes. "No… all they said was that I'd find out when the time was right." Yugi sighed softly, leaning down onto Yami's chest again, snuggling up comfortably. "I guess it has something to do with that divine purpose I have, whatever that may be… maybe I'll find out whenever that is…" Yugi's face slowly grew more contemplative as he spoke, until the boy was nearly frowning. What he actually finished up with was something somewhere between a scowl, a pout and a baby-face, which looked absolutely adorable on him.

Lateef sighed and nodded. "At least they said you'll find out, I guess…" The distant look slipped from him eyes, which instead took on a pained, saddened tint before he allowed them to slowly close. "I never really knew my father…"

Yami, Bakura and Malik already knew this. The boy had – briefly – spoken about it before. The other two, however, had absolutely no idea, and the curiosity ate at them. Eventually, Masika spoke up, her voice gentle but enquiring. "Did he… leave your mother, when you were young?"

"They both died."

Masika and Yugi's faces both fell, saddened to hear this. There had also been a hint to Lateef's voice that suggested that wasn't the whole story.

"They were murdered when I was five."

A shocked gasp came from Yugi and Masika, and the girl scooted a little closer to Lateef, ready to comfort him if he started crying. Yami and Bakura sat solemnly, and Malik had turned away, his eyes closed.

"So… what happened after that?" Masika asked. She knew it was rude to pry, but somehow she just wanted – no, _needed_ – to know. She also got the feeling that Lateef wanted to talk about it, to share his burden with someone else, and she was ready to listen.

"I lived on the streets for a while, and got captured by a slave trader. A man bought me, and made me work for him. When I got older, he rented me out to rich nobles to… perform for them…"

Yugi looked positively sick as he heard this revelation, and buried his face against Yami's chest, determined to stifle any tears that should fall for the boy. Gods, the boy had already had it bad… and Yugi didn't think that he really wanted to see anyone getting upset on his account. He was too gentle, too good-natured for that.

Lateef's eyes squeezed more tightly shut, and a single tear escaped him. Masika – her own eyes shimmering – shifted even closer and gently cupped the boy's farthest cheek with her hand, lightly resting her head against his in a comforting gesture. "You poor thing," she whispered. She felt the boy lean gently into her, and slipped an arm round him, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "Gran'mother always told me others had things worse than we did… but I never realised it could get that bad…" Masika was being honest. In the palace, she was given a relatively sheltered life, and when she'd still lived with her Grandmother she'd been to young to really know what was going on around her. Without thought, she hugged the boy closer. "Gods," she whispered. "I don't know how you can still go on… you're so brave…"

Lateef, despite his tears, felt a slight blush appear. He'd never been paid any real compliments before… and yet here was an almost stranger, acting like she'd known him for years, calling him one of the words he'd never begun to imagine could be applied to him.

"Oh no!" Masika suddenly cried. "Gran'mother! I have to go check on her!" Hugging Lateef tightly, impulsively kissing him on the cheek, Masika jumped to her feet. "I'm so sorry! I have to go! But I'll come back later if it's okay with you, Mr Bakura?"

As the thief nodded, Masika bowed gracefully before turning and running for the door. "I'll see you guys soon!" she called over her shoulder. With that, she was gone.

Before an awkward silence had a chance to settle, Malik slowly spoke. He'd looked subdued all afternoon, and had barely said a word until now. "Lateef…" he murmured. "I've never told anyone this before, but I can appreciate how you feel. I lost my father when I was younger too."

Four heads turned to face Malik as he spoke, surprise shining in their eyes. The boy had never mentioned his parentage before, but then the conversation had never really come up until today. "My father was a royal tomb guard… he was employed to look after the body of Pharaoh Tuthmises." Malik glanced pointedly at Yami. "Your father, as we all know."

The Pharaoh nodded, and Malik continued. "I'm sure you all remember the night it got desecrated… the guards were gutted, their bodies defiled, their blood splashed across the walls…" Malik's voice had a bitter, pained bite to it. The memory still hurt. "He was working there that night."

Suddenly, Bakura found for the first time that he could regret his actions after all…

*~*~*~*~*~*

Any better? Please review! 


	9. Spectral Emotions

Hey again everyone! Bazu is back, with another chapter. Now, I have a small notice to bring up... I can't help but think my forenotes are too long now, so what I'm going to do is just answer specific questions in my reviews now, rather than indivdually replying to everyone. You will all still get a mention, don't worry! ^_^ Is that okay with everyone?

Reviews

Bluebolt: Don't worry, the plan is for the fic to get better yet! I do intend to kick up a few more notches!  
Shade25: Yup, Bakura did it... _feeeeeeel_ the angst!  
yamiyugifanadic: See above ^_^  
Darkwolf193: Goes without saying, yes I have read it... well, the beginnings of anyways...  
Antia the Witch: I'm actually kind of curious about that review... am I right in thinking you're not usually into yaoi (guy on guy) fics then? *smiles* Bonus points for Bazu! I don't _only_ write yaoi though, so... *pushes toward profile page* ^_^'  
Dannee-san: I don't _think_ I've actually given enough info for people to _know_ who Yugi's dad is yet... I know, and I will justify it later, but for now, it's purely speculation on what the future holds...

And special thanks to all my other reviewers:

Shadowspecter, ObiWanGirl, Ame, Crazyaboutyugi, Misseystar, Ril, Sabbie the Unloved Goddess, Miami-chan, DarkIlluser, Tahirah, DAU, One Winged Tenshi, JFreak, Chaotic Bystander, tamachan444, RavenWulf, Taddybear, Abi2, Rikainiel and Insane Pineapple from Naboo! *huggles for all*

Now, I don't really like this chapter... just seems a bit... 'bleh'. However, as you should all know by now, I don't _do_ unimportant chapters. Which means this chapter still holds value. So enjoy! ^_^

*~*~*~*~*~*

Two days had passed since the execution and the discussion in the room. During those two days, Bakura had felt absolutely awful, and had barely even been able to look Malik in the eye – he could barely look at him at all. Fortunately, he'd been able to fob Malik's concerns off, saying he was busy on his latest project or he was thinking about how Yugi must have felt while waiting to be returned to Yami. Malik, ever the loving, doting partner, had simply accepted his word as gospel and hadn't pressed him further, not even in the bedroom. And that just served to make Bakura feel worse… if that was possible.

When Malik had revealed his past, Bakura had seen the hurt in his eyes, and heard the pain in his voice. The fact that he'd lost his father, and had been unable to do anything to protect him, tore him apart. Not only that, but the way the bodies had been degraded, leaving them in such a humiliating and dishonourable fashion, only struck the pain deeper. Not only was his father dead; he was mutilated. The thought was enough to sicken anyone.

Today, Bakura "had a headache" and was sat in his bedroom, that afternoon playing over and over again in his head.

"_He was working there that night_."

That one line had said enough. Words couldn't describe how angered; pained; _cheated_ Malik felt, but the tone of his voice could. His father had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was dead because of it. He and his family had been left to mourn and weep, and to try to pick up the broken pieces of their lives.

'And what was that you were saying about Set and his executions?' Bakura thought bitterly. He was no better than the High Priest. Something had gone against him, and he'd gone and killed innocent people in revenge, leaving so many to suffer because of it.

"Stupid bastard," Bakura uttered sorrowfully, grimacing as he heard his voice. That was probably the one event in his life he now wanted to take back most of all. Even when Ryou had died, leaving him alone on the streets, didn't compare to what he felt now. He had recovered from his brother's death. He remembered him, and missed him, but he'd moved on.

Malik _couldn't_.

Slumping back onto his and Malik's bed, Bakura's fist clenched. He hated himself. Truly, deeply, thoroughly despised his very existence. He'd hurt the one he loved more than anything more deeply than anyone else ever could. The only way Malik could begin to get over it was avenging it himself… which would mean killing his love.

Would Malik still love him, though? Bakura wouldn't blame him if he did walk out, or strike him. But how could he tell him in the first place? Just thinking about what he'd done tore him up – to say it out loud would be like cutting his own heart from his chest.

With a strangled, frustrated noise, something halfway between a growl and a sob, Bakura rolled over on the bed, burying his face into the sheets.

*~*~*Flashback*~*~*

"Bakura," Ryou uttered softly, pulling his sobbing younger brother into his chest. "It's okay… you don't have to hold your tears back…"

Bakura fought the tears nevertheless, stifling them to sniffles and choked sobs. "But… Ryou…" he moaned, his tiny hands fisting in his brother's clothes. "Th… they're…"

Tears in his own eyes, Ryou swallowed loudly and nodded. "I know, Bakura. It isn't fair…"

The two boys had just received official word of their parents' deaths. The guards had issued a royal apology, stating how brave they had been, and then scurried off to the next house on their list, leaving the brothers stood at the door, stunned.

"It just…" Ryou swallowed again as he struggled for the right words, trying to put up a brave front for Bakura's sake. "It's one of those things, Kura… Sometimes, life throws that sort of thing at you… a-and y-you need to accept it… and…"

Ryou could feel the tears trying to fall, but he refused to just give in. He'd fight them off as long as he could, while he offered Bakura the comfort he needed. Taking a deep breath, trying to compose himself, he shakily continued. "You can't change it, Bakura. But you can t-try to make the best of it, or at least try to make it right…"

"But... how can we…?" Bakura sobbed, burying his face against his older brother, shaking slightly as the tears began to overpower him. "H-how c-can w-w-we make the best o-of…"

Bakura broke down into wailing, and Ryou held him tightly, silent tears beginning to slip down his cheeks. "We can stay together, Bakura…" he whispered. "Mum and Dad loved us, and they said they were proud of how close we as a family were… if we stay together, we can get through this…"

Bakura nodded, still bawling his little eyes out. He adored his brother, and believed every word he said. "Okay," he managed to choke out, whispering. "For Mum and Dad… let's be strong…"

At these words, hearing something so brave from one so young, Ryou nodded softly before he too broke down, the two brothers hugging each other tightly. "…Mum and dad," he sobbed in agreement.

*~*~*End Flashback*~*~*

Bakura gradually realised he was sobbing into the sheets. The memory of that day had come back, and Ryou's words had returned to him. 'It's okay… you don't have to hold your tears back' he'd said. Right now, those words – that memory – helped Bakura more than anything. Now, when he was at his lowest, Ryou had come back to help him, just as he always had.

"Ryou," Bakura whispered, sobbing silently. "I'll do it. I'll tell him. I want you to be proud of me… and I'll make it right." Bakura curled up into a foetal position, cuddling the sheets close to him as he always had when Ryou hadn't been there to comfort him. It always made him feel better – the soft sheets reminded him of his brother's hair; and his own body warmed the sheets up and made it feel like Ryou was there beside him. Slowly, his tears subsided, and he settled for laying in that position, hugging the sheets tightly and wishing Ryou really _was_ there with him.

"I'll tell him Ryou," Bakura whispered. "I have to…"

*~*~*~*~*~*

In the kitchen, Malik was preparing to give Yugi a hand with the dinner. Yugi had proved to be not untalented in the kitchen, but he certainly had a bit of learning to do. Today, Malik had come home with one of the largest fish Yugi had ever seen.

"How on earth…" Yugi breathed, his eyes almost dropping out of his skull.

"Hmm?"

"How in the name of the Gods did you manage to steal _that_?"

Malik grinned at Yugi. "Oh come now, I come home with fish and you just assume I stole it?" Malik shook his head in mock disbelief. "I'll have you know there's no way I could fit this in my robes. So I bartered for it."

Yugi didn't look quite convinced. He'd never seen any money in Bakura or Malik's hands – though admittedly, when you're the two greatest thieves in the two lands, there was no need for it – and they only ever stole what they needed. Never extra. "What did you barter with?"

"I gave him two jugs of wine and a slab of goat meat for this, I'll have you know. Rather a generous offer on my part, don't you think?"

"Where did you get the wine and meat from?"

Malik looked a little put out by this question, and dropped the fish onto the table. "Now let me show you how to de-scale these properly–"

"You stole them, didn't you?"

Malik's sullen silence answered Yugi's question sufficiently, and he giggled in triumph. "No harm in admitting to using your greatest skills, Malik," he smiled, standing next to the taller boy so he could watch his lesson.

"Hmm? Oh, no, thievery's not my _best_ ability. You see, Bakura really likes it when I-"

"NO!" Yugi shrieked, covering his ears. "I don't want to hear about that, Malik! I hear enough of it as it is!"

Malik smirked triumphantly and sniggered. "Well it's not as if you're totally naïve to it, is it? I mean, I wasn't the one who woke up certain members of the household with my anniversary gift, you know…"

Yugi blushed brightly and looked down at his hands, which he'd crossed over his lap. "So, uhm… the fish…" he remarked quietly, trying to divert the subject very quickly.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Masu darling, what in Bastet's name is up with you today?"

Masika blinked suddenly, looking up in surprise. "Hmm? What is it, Gran'mother?"

The older lady chuckled. She was feeling quite well today – some days she felt better, some days she felt worse – and was helping Masika cleaning the house. "You're really not yourself today, you know."

Masika's eyes opened a little wider. "Oh, no, it's nothing Gran'mother! I'm fine, really!" she blurted, not wanting her Grandmother to worry about her.

"Oh, I can see that dear. You're just a bit… odd, today." This was true enough. Masika, who usually cleaned so diligently to be sure her Grandmother never had to do any more work than was necessary, had left three jobs halfway through, announcing as she walked away that she'd finished them, and had kept humming happily and occasionally spacing out, her eyes distant as though lost in thought. She was definitely distracted by something. "What's on your mind dear?" the old woman asked, sitting down and patting the seat next to her.

Masika obediently sat down, her hands lightly folded in her lap. "It's no one, Gran'mother," she answered, smiling slightly to reassure her.

The old lady grinned wickedly, and prodded Masika playfully. "No _one_?"

Masika squeaked indignantly, blushing slightly and suddenly looking flustered. "I meant nothing! Nothing!" She frowned in objection as her Grandmother chuckled knowingly, and folded her arms, almost pouting. "What?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

"My dear," her senior replied. "I do believe you care for someone…" Masika opened her mouth to protest, but all she could manage was another indignant squeak, allowing her Grandmother to continue. "Your head's in the sky, you're absent-minded, you keep drifting off into a fantasy land, and you said 'no one' was on your mind." The elderly woman nodded triumphantly as Masika desperately searched for a response, and carried on. "Would it happen to be that young man you've mentioned about twenty-two times since you met him… what, two days ago?"

Masika blushed brightly, and her Grandmother laughed heartily. "Oh, my dear…" she murmured, rubbing Masika's head affectionately. "If you want to go for it, go for it. Don't hold back on my account – nothing would make me happier than seeing my little Masu happy."

Slowly, the girl nodded, though the blush was still predominant on her cheeks. She really couldn't think of anything to say.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Once the fish had been de-scaled and was being cooked, Malik and Yugi both sat on the dusty floor in the kitchen, quietly talking with each other.

"Yugi," Malik murmured, idly doodling in the dust as he chewed his lip thoughtfully. he had been thinking about what had been troubling Bakura, and curiosity had gotten the better of him. "When you were up in the hall… what was it like? Having to wait for Yami, I mean?"

Yugi tilted his head slightly as he contemplated his reply. "Well…" he began, blinking contemplatively. "I don't think it was actually so bad, really. I mean, I knew I'd see Yami at the end of it, so I was able to wait. But…" Yugi sighed deeply as he remembered. "I guess the hardest thing was seeing the pain he was in." Yugi turned to face Malik, his eyes slightly pained and sorrowful. "All that time, I had to watch him suffer, knowing there was nothing anyone could do that would help him in any way. All the time he spent crying… all that heartache… all the…" Yugi sniffed slightly, blinking as he carried on. "All the times he just broke down and whispered my name… that hurt most of all." Yugi's eyes flicked down to the floor again. "I knew I'd see him at the end of that year. He didn't. He thought I was gone forever. I don't know if I'd have lasted as long as he did."

Yugi faced Malik once more. "Thank you," he smiled, his eyes radiating sincerity. "Both of you. Thank you for taking care of Yami."

Malik blinked a little, surprised, and then smiled. "Don't worry," he replied, an honest grin on his face. "He helped us out, so we wanted to help him. The first effort messed up, so I guess the least we could do was taken him in and help him through it all." Malik leaned back against the wall and stretched a little. "I'm sure if it was the other way round – if I'd been the Pharaoh, and Bakura had been executed, you two would have taken me in."

Yugi gave a definite nod. "Without question," he replied, earning a little grin from the blonde boy.

Yugi joined Malik in slumping against the wall, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually quite a comfortable position. Relaxing and shuffling about a little, Yugi also stretched. "I guess it wouldn't be so unfair to say that you and Bakura could both imagine what Yami was going through, would it?"

Malik considered this, then shook his head "Definitely not. You two both exist for each other, and so do we. Bakura is my world, and I know I'm his." Malik drew one of his knees up to his chest and lazily rested one arm on it, stretching his other leg out. "We both love each other more than life itself. So yes, we could imagine what Yami was going through."

Yugi blinked a little, then made a soft 'aww!' noise, which Malik glanced sideways at. "That's so sweet!" Yugi cooed, giggling. "The two most dangerous villains in Egypt, in love with each other, defying anything thrown at them to stay together!" Yugi giggled and poked Malik playfully. "It's like something out of those Greek legends!"

Malik's eyes narrowed, and he prodded Yugi in return, earning a squeal from the smaller boy. "And what about the 'Pharaoh falls in love with slave' storyline, hmm?" Malik smirked. "That's like something from the corniest stories ever told by those street entertainers!"

Yugi folded his arms, pretending to pout, before sticking his tongue out at Malik and giggling. He looked like he was going to add another comment, but paused as his mouth opened, softly sniffing at the air.

Malik frowned, looking a little confused. "What's up?"

"One point to me," Yugi replied, hopping to his feet. "You'd have burnt the fish if I wasn't here."

Giving a small shriek, partly in embarrassment and partly for fear of losing his dinner, Malik hopped to his feet and ran across to the open fire so fast you might have thought his feet themselves were burning.

Smiling, Yugi walked over to the window and gazed out into the night, enjoying the soft breeze that lightly ruffled his hair. He couldn't help thinking back to when he and Yami had been in the Nile, and he'd sworn he'd show Yami how much he loved him. Had he taken that vow in the heat of the moment, or did he really mean it? Pausing briefly to contemplate, he nodded to himself. He meant it. He knew that somehow, he'd eventually be able to show Yami just how true his love really was. He just wished he knew how soon 'eventually' would be.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Okay, we know the routine... Remember, I wanna finish this fic with over 500 reviews! A big target, but it makes me work harder - so show me how much you like it, please? Pretty please with a pretty Egyptian boy on top? 


	10. Push the weak around

Hey again all! Another fortnight or so, another chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!

Reviews:

yamiyugifanadic: Will there be angst? This is _me_ you're talking about...  
tamachan444: *smirk* You think a threat like that is gonna help your cause? My dear, if anything, I might make it even more painful for that...  
Yami Yami Yugi: There was no Yami because Yami didn't have anything to do in that chapter. he was just... doing Yami things... probably involving naughty thoughts of Yugi ^_^

_Thanks also to_: ObiWanGirl, Sansi, Chaotic Bystander, Ril, Kitty Neko, trekkie-54, Pharaoh's Dark Hikari, Morgaine: Lady of the Lake, CrazyAboutYugi, Smarty1, Shade25, One Winged Tenshi, DarkWolf193, DAU, Yugi-obsessed, Sabby-chan Yaoi Fan, Taddybear, blueraydragon, Tahirah, Sabbie The Unloved Goddess, inuyasha-1234, Anna EC, Abi 2 and Latias!

Oh, and because I forget so often... Thank you Koori-chan and Becky for beta duties! *snugs*

*~*~*~*~*~*

A deathly silence filled the throne room as Set made his way to his seat of power. Guards stared fixedly at the wall opposite them, stood to attention and not daring to bat an eyelid as Set passed, while advisors knelt on the ground, staring only at Set's feet as he passed. Of late, the High Priest Lord of the Two Lands had developed an increasingly short temper, and the smallest irritation was deemed just cause to hand out the death sentence. You could almost feel the rage flowing from him as he walked, wilting everything he passed and poisoning the earth under his feet.

Glaring death upon all around him, Set continued his long walk across the length of the throne room, to the pedestal on which the Pharaoh had formerly sat. Climbing stair by stair, growling with each footstep, Set slammed angrily down into his throne, adjusting to a comfortable but intimidating position as he surveyed the trembling masses before him.

Things hadn't been going too well lately. Something was wrong in the heavens, quite badly. Almost every effort to offer praise to the Gods had gone wrong – he'd forgotten the prayers, or the wrong statues were in the room, or anything like that. It was _almost_ as if the Gods had turned their backs on him entirely. Of course, he knew they hadn't – to ignore him would be to ignore Egypt, the very nation that led the world to know of the almighty Gods. Besides, there was proof all around them that the Gods still acknowledged them – just a few days ago, the inundation [1] had begun, which meant that at least Osiris was still present. However, one God did not account for the rest, and at any rate worship offered to Osiris was no more successful than the others were. That, and his spies had lost the Pharaoh a long time ago, and hadn't found him again. It wasn't like he was inconspicuous… so something else must have been interfering.

Yes. Something was _definitely_ wrong.

With a growl, Set spoke up. "Send them in."

Today was traditionally the day the Pharaoh would listen to the pleas of the people and offer help where he felt it appropriate. Set had originally planned to scrap this, but – following much fretful pleading and reasoning from every last advisor in the palace – he had eventually been dissuaded. On days like today, when his mood was far from positive, the advisors couldn't help but wonder if maybe they'd have been better off just letting it slip.

The first peasant entered timidly, an old man with a bent back and knocking knees, wheezing softly with the effort of shuffling the extraordinary length of the room on the staff he leaned against. "My Lord," he began.

"_Don't_ raise your eyes to me!" Set bellowed as he spied the man beginning to look up. "You are not my equal, nor will you ever be. Do not try to match my gaze."

The old man bowed as deeply as his aching back would permit him in apology, and softly continued. "My name is Azakhten Neteri, and I have come to plead on behalf of my son."

"And why couldn't he come himself?"

"Well, my Lord, whilst removing the last of the crops from the banks of the Nile yesterday, he was attacked by a crocodile. He's too weak to even stand up at the moment, and–"

"Forget it," Set snapped. "He shouldn't have been stupid enough to get caught in the first place." Darting a savage glare at the old man, he bellowed out, "Next!"

"But, my Lord–"

Set's glare turned from a dart into a full onslaught. "How _dare_ you speak out of turn!" he roared. "I heard your pitiful request and rejected it. You do not have the authority to question me!" Set looked up and across the room. "Guards!"

Cursing under their breath, Jou and Hiroto snapped to attention. "Yes, oh mighty Lord?"

"Throw this pathetic gnat into the cells," Set spat. "Maybe a week there will teach him and his family some respect for the man pressured with running the kingdom they live so freely in."

The two strode forward without so much as a word, roughly taking the man by each arm and leading him out of the room.

"You two!"

Both froze mid-step, and Jou turned and looked over his shoulder at the High Priest, who sounded immensely displeased. "…Yes, oh mighty Lord?"

"I said throw him, not carry him. He's a prisoner, not a guest."

The two chief guards gave each other an uneasy glance, before dutifully complying. Both darting forward suddenly, they caused the old man to overbalance, leaving him to be roughly dragged out of the room, struggling as the floor scraped at his unprotected skin.

Once out of the room, the two pulled the man to his feet. "Sorry about that," Hiroto whispered as he allowed the man to weakly dust himself off. "It was that or all three of us would be the main attraction at the next execution."

The old man nodded. "Very well," he wheezed, wincing as his hand brushed a cut. "I shan't resist you… but could you please see that my grandson finds out?" he asked hopefully. "He's stood at the palace gates, his name is Azizi. I feared this might happen, so I had him wait there…"

Jou looked down uncertainly. "We'll see what we can do for you…" he murmured. If they weren't careful, the boy could be thrown in the cells too. "Now come on, let's get you down there before he sends someone out to check on us…"

*~*~*~*~*~*

The old man safely locked away, Jou and Hiroto stood in a different area of the cells, both slouched against the wall and looking not best pleased. "Damn bastard," Jou murmured, his arms folded loosely across his chest. "Thinks he's so high and mighty now that the Pharaoh isn't around. What I'd give to see that smirk wiped off his face…"

Hiroto raised an eyebrow. "The joint Chief of the Royal Guard speaking out against the Lord Protector?" He shook his head slowly. "You should be careful, you know. If the wrong person hears…" Hiroto drew his thumb across the base of his neck, indicated Jou's fate.

"Ah, shove it," the blonde retorted. "I know you hate that bastard as much as I do. And besides, none of our boys would rat us out."

"I might though," a third voice piped up.

Hiroto and Jou both turned to glare at whoever had spoken. In a cell a few doors down, a face was pressed up against the bars across the small gap in the door. "I mean, now that I've heard you guys say it, it's my word against yours – and of course _you'd_ deny it. I'm sure the High Priest would listen to that argument. Seems to be a bit of a live one, you know?"

As the two guards strode up to the door, the boy stepped back from the bars, flicking his long black bangs out of his eyes and grinning confidently. Jou rapped his knuckles against the wood, before leaning against the door with a self-assured air of his own. "We could have you put to death, you know."

"Don't think so. I'm not even a criminal any more."

Both guards glanced at each other in surprise. "What?"

"Check the records. I got flung in here for saying the very things you just did. Difference being Set wasn't so foul-tempered back then. I should've been let out yesterday, but I guess you can't depend on human efficiency. Either way, as far as those records go I'm not here, so if you kill me you'll be murdering a civilian!"

Jou and Hiroto glanced uneasily at each other, before Hiroto went off to check the records. Jou leaned up to the door again and whispered, "If what you say is true, and we let you out, can you do us a favour?"

"Possibly."

Jou gritted his teeth at this reply. This boy was so damn… overconfident. He was the kind of guy who'd probably only avoided getting a real kicking this long because of his friends. "Listen, there should be a small boy outside, his name is Azizi. If we let you out, can you tell him that his grandfather's been taken in for a week?"

Barely pausing for thought, the prisoner – or not, as the case may be – nodded swiftly. 'Maybe he's not so bad after all,' Jou mused.

Soon enough, Hiroto's voice came round the corner. "Yeah, we've got one here… someone by the name of Adair should have been released yesterday and hasn't been recorded as leaving,"

Adair nodded brightly. "Told you so!" he chirped triumphantly. "So how about you guys let me out, and I'll go deliver your message, huh?"

Jou glanced at the boy, then turned his head away. "Forget it."

"_What_?" Adair rushed forward to the door of the cell as Jou turned away, almost slamming into the wood in his haste. "H-hey, you can't do that! I'm not supposed to be here! Let me out!"

Suddenly, Jou's face appeared at the door again, causing Adair to jump back in surprise and accidentally trip over his feet. "Not such a smart-mouth when things aren't going your way, are ya?" he grinned as the boy quickly clambered back to his feet, dusting his behind off. Jou unbolted the door and swung it open, standing to one side to allow Adair to pass.

The ebony-haired boy glared at Jou as he walked past. "I won't forget this, ya know…" he murmured sullenly. His demeanour suddenly brightened again though, and he chirped a quick "Thanks!" before dashing ahead and up the stairs toward the main palace, with Hiroto pursuing hotly. "Get back here!" Hiroto cried. "You have to be escorted out!"

"And I am, aren't I?"

Jou shook his head, a small smile on his lips as Hiroto hurled threat after threat at the boy, and closed the cell door again.

*~*~*~*~*~*

His morning wasted, Set had retired to his room, dismissing all present from his sight. He couldn't see why the peasants even bothered nowadays. Even if they had a reasonable claim, he didn't see why the palace coffers should cover their own bad fortune. "After all," he smirked as he paced back and forth. "How many of them came to their precious Pharaoh's aid when he needed it?"

Set scowled out the window as he passed it, spying the city outside the palace. He couldn't comprehend how even his finest spies had managed to lose the Pharaoh in that dump. It wasn't as if there were many hiding places, even if he did know he was being followed, and unless he had dramatically changed his appearance he stood out like a sore thumb. Either his spies were losing their touch – which would mean they'd also soon lose their necks – or someone was protecting the Pharaoh. He couldn't begin to imagine who though - if those two boys who had helped him during his pathetic rescue mission had now befriended him, they would be in for a very nasty surprise if they were found when he was. And at any rate, they wouldn't be able to hide him so well either. It was almost like someone had draped a shield about the Pharaoh, to completely camouflage him from anyone who might threaten him.

Set snorted at that concept. 'I'll be thinking the _Gods_ are protecting him next' he scorned. 'Though quite why they'd betray the High Priest to protect that worthless has-been is beyond comprehension.'

No, it couldn't be the Gods. Set growled in annoyance as the answer continued to elude him, kicking out at a nearby stone on the floor and wincing as he felt the cut on his toe re-open.

"Not that it matters," he growled as he sat on his bed, hoisting his foot into his lap so he could examine how badly the cut had split. "I'll find the Pharaoh soon, and then he won't be a threat to me any longer."

Set may have been bent on absolute power, but he wasn't stupid. As long as the Pharaoh existed, someone outranked him. And he certainly couldn't have that. By having the Pharaoh killed, without leaving an heir since he'd fallen for that little fuck-puppet who was long dead, Set would ensure his position was sealed. He would rule the empire, and the world would quake before him.

A thin smirked graced the High Priest Lord of the Two Lands' face. Soon, absolute power would be his. Then his revenge could really begin.

*~*~*~*~*~*

[1] Inundation – Egypt very rarely sees rain. Instead, they received an inundation – the Nile flooded once a year, dropping fertile and damp soil across its banks. When the floodwaters withdrew, the people were able to farm the banks, thus providing enough crops for the coming year. This still happens even today. Osiris was recognised as the God of the Inundation, and if they received poor soil at any time, it was assumed they had upset Osiris somehow, in which case they would hold a festival in his honour to appease him for the next year.

*~*~*~*~*~*

C'mon people, reviews! Please? 


	11. Too late to say goodbye

...I actually have no notes for this chapter...

Reviews

Darkwolf193: Don't worry, I can tell the diff between a flame and a criticism ^_^ yes, I agree, but it was necessary... you'll see why later!

A thank you also to Koori no Kokoro, ObiWanGirl, shadowspecter, Ril, Yugi-obsessed, CrazyAboutYugi, Latias, Kitty Neko, Shade25, One Winged Tenshi, Ame, Bi Panda, Anna EC, Yami Yami Yugi, Violet Blossoms (thanks for the plushies! ^_^), Smarty1, Dark Amethystunicorn, Morgaine: Lady of the Lake, BadLuckShuichi, s.h.i.r.o.i.k.e.t.s.u.e.k.i, Lady Rapidash, trekkie-54, RavenWulf, Abi2, Taddybear, blueraydragon, tamachan444, yamiyugifanadic (*hands over cookie*), Babsey The Great, Lunar Shadowsong, Athena5897, Flowers and Setosgal

*~*~*~*~*~*

Bakura bit his lip as he stood outside his and Malik's bedroom door. He knew Malik was in there. He knew what he was going to say. He _knew_ Malik wouldn't take it well… but he also knew that he had to do it. And therein lay the problem.

How could he just walk in and blurt out that he was responsible for Malik's father's death? That he was ultimately responsible for Malik being orphaned? Bakura leaned up against the wall with a small groan. If he hadn't been such a hot-headed youth, this wouldn't have arisen now. It would be so much easier to blame it on Tuthmises – to say that if he hadn't wrongly killed Ryou, Bakura wouldn't have had anything to claim vengeance for – but he knew he alone had responsibility for his actions. Even at the entrance to the tomb he'd hesitated, wondering if what he was doing was wrong. If he'd listened to that small voice, if he'd swallowed his pride and anger and walked away, he wouldn't have to face this now. But he hadn't walked away, and now he had to pay for his mistake.

"Bakura?"

Bakura jerked out of his self-reproachful thoughts and spun to face the doorway, guilt written all over his face. Malik was stood there, smiling brightly. "I thought I heard you!" he remarked cheerfully. When he noticed Bakura's remorseful gaze, his smile faded slightly, and he even frowned a little. "Bakura…? What's wrong?"

The tomb robber's eyes dropped so he was staring at the dirt on the floor. "Malik… I need to talk to you…" he mumbled.

Confusion in his violet eyes, Malik nodded dumbly, stepping aside to allow Bakura into their shared room and closing the door behind him. "What's wrong?" he asked again.

Bakura sat down on the bed, slumping forward as he retraced his words in his head once again. Now that the moment had arrived, they were much harder to recall, and when he did remember they didn't sound anywhere near as good as he'd first thought. He had somewhat expected it, but even so he rued the fact, wishing that any of the gods – or preferably goddesses – would strike him with inspiration, just a few simple words that would make it all okay again.

"Malik," Bakura began, his voice hoarse. "There's something I did, a long time ago… and I have to tell you now. It's not fair to keep it from you. You need to know, so you can move on."

Malik frowned slightly, pursing his lips in thought. What was Bakura talking about? What could he have done all that time ago that would affect Malik now?

"I…" Bakura paused, checking his wording again and taking a deep breath to compose himself. "Your father… the night he was killed at the tomb…"

Malik's eyes flashed wide, his jaw dropping open. Bakura didn't…?

"…It was me."

Malik took a shaky step back from Bakura, unable to accept what he'd just heard. "No…" he whispered. "You didn't… you… you're joking, right?" Bakura couldn't have done it. He hated whoever had killed his father… but he loved Bakura. There was no way they could be the same person. It just… it didn't work. It couldn't work. There had to be some other reason Bakura was saying that.

"…I'm sorry Malik. This isn't a joke. I had to tell you, so you could begin to get over it."

"No…"

"I'm so sorry Malik. I didn't think about what I was doing, and… I fucked it up…" Bakura looked up at Malik with wide, slightly teary eyes. "Tuthmises killed my brother, my only guardian, and destroyed my life. I just wanted revenge… I didn't think about what it'd do to everyone else…"

Malik's reply was quiet, sharp and bitter. "So that makes it okay?" His face suddenly contorted into a snarl, and he almost lashed out at Bakura. "_So that makes it okay? You think that admitting your mistake will just make the pain go away?_" Malik advanced on Bakura two paces, his fist drawn back, ready to strike. "Don't you realise what that did Bakura? _You ruined my life!_"

"I know…" the boy whispered dejectedly. "That's why I told you. So you could move on and let it go."

"_I'd rather have never known!_" Malik yelled. "_Why don't you just go kill yourself now and save me the trouble?_" Pausing only to hiss an angry 'bastard!' at the white-haired tomb robber, Malik turned and bolted from the room.

"Malik!" Bakura yelled, jumping up from the bed. "Where are you going?"

A slammed door was all that answered Bakura, and his dejected, teary whisper echoed softly in the following silence as he slumped to his knees, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Shit…"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Yugi tilted his head at a cute angle as Yami finished his exegesis [1]. "But… I still don't see how it actually works."

Yami sighed slightly, smiling at his young partner. He was trying to explain the concept of diplomacy to Yugi, without much luck. Yugi continued, pressing home his confusion. "If everyone knows that everyone else is lying, and everyone knows that everyone else knows, then why pretend you're all telling the truth? Why not just say what you mean?"

The Pharaoh smiled again. He'd gone through exactly the same questions himself with his father. "Because that's how wars start, Yugi. Ultimately, everyone is sure that their cause is the right one, and your cause will frequently conflict with everyone else's. If we all said what we thought, people would get very offended very quickly. If we all lie, we can all go away, report those lies to our leaders honestly, with witnesses to support it, and that will be the end of it. Likewise, the leaders can remain assured that the surrounding nations at least accept their position, even if they'd rather be there themselves."

Slowly, Yugi nodded, making a mental note to just not get involved with politics. "Well, what if–?"

The boy suddenly stopped mid sentence, his eyes wide. A series of visions were roaring through his head, overpowering his senses and confusing his thoughts. He clutched at his temples with his hands, screwing his eyes shut, and sunk to his knees as he felt himself dizzying, oblivious to Yami's cries of concern. The images were growing more and more vivid, racing through his skull and slamming into his consciousness with more and more power. Bakura… Malik… Malik running… the two talking… Bakura alone… Malik and Bakura talking… Malik running… Both boys crying… The images were jumbled, making no sense to Yugi. He couldn't work out what they were saying or what he was supposed to be seeing.

Suddenly, one new image flashed past, blinking by in a fraction of a second like all the others. Tuthmises' tomb. Then Bakura and Malik talking… Malik crying… running… Bakura crying… Bakura picking up a knife…

The images suddenly stopped, and Yugi fell forward onto his hands, panting loudly. Eyes wide with shock and from exhaustion, sweat trickling down his forehead, Yugi spoke. "Bakura…" he gasped, sucking in another lungful of air. "We've got to go and stop Bakura, now…"

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Malik!" the tomb robber cried as he ran through the streets. "Malik! Where are you?"

Dried tear tracks adorning his face, Bakura's frantic search for Malik was proving to be completely useless. He ran down every street, peered down every alley, climbed onto every rooftop in a bid to find the boy. He didn't know why – he didn't know what he'd do or say when and if he did find him – but he had to do something. He couldn't take just sitting at home waiting.

"Malik!" Bakura yelled again, finding the search harder and harder as the sun slowly set. Dark alleyways got darker, and potential hiding places grew more frequent. Bakura was taking longer to check, and so getting through fewer locations. "Malik, please answer me!"

The only reply Bakura got was from the wind, whipping sand up into his face as it blasted through the city. Shielding his eyes, Bakura carried on, calling out time and again for the boy. Slowly, though, his resolve weakened. With each unanswered cry, with each fruitless search, Bakura's hope faded slightly, like a flame on a candle that was slowly burning out. Slowly, his actions grew more sluggish, more tired, as the despair he originally felt began to settle in once more.

What was the use anyway? Malik wouldn't come back to him now.

"_I'd rather have never known!_"

The words echoed through Bakura's mind. Malik hated him. He'd been able to tell straight away. No matter what else had happened, Malik had never reacted like that before. That wasn't just anger that Malik had directed at him; it had also been years of pent-up pain rushing to the surface, freed now that Bakura had told him the truth. All the years of suffering, of wondering, of wishing to be able to take revenge, all the painful brooding Malik had gone through – it had all been Bakura's fault. Bakura was the source of everything Malik had been through. And he now hated him for it.

"What's the use?" Bakura whispered weakly as he slumped against a wall. "He'll never come back to me now… Even if I did find him, I'd be lucky if he even acknowledged me…"

Pushing away from the wall, Bakura staggered feebly forward. "I've got nothing now…" he whispered. He genuinely believed it too – he'd lost his parents, he'd lost his brother, who he still idolised even today, he'd lost the one true love of his life… what was worth staying for?

"_Why don't you just go kill yourself now and save me the trouble?_"

"I'm sorry Ryou…" Bakura whispered, reaching for the dagger that hung at his belt. He unsheathed it and held it gently in both hands, the blade balanced across his left palm and the handle on his right. It had been a gift from Malik, one he'd actually got a job for, to earn the money to buy it honestly, specially for Bakura. His right hand closed, and he raised the knife up.

"I'm so sorry, my brother… I've got too much pain to go on, and too much to answer for… I'll never get to Sekhet-Hetepet now…" Bakura choked at this thought, resigning himself to never seeing his brother again. That had been the one dream that he'd still held, but now he was going to cheat himself of even that.

"…I'll be in Duat, Ryou. I hope I made you proud of me…" Bakura wiped a tear from his eye furiously, not wanting to ruin his final goodbye with tears. "Please understand, my brother…I'll always love you…"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Yugi suddenly froze mid-step as more images assailed him, though this time they were far less powerful than the first time. "The courtyard!" he yelled, turning and running back a little way with Yami close behind him. "He's there! We don't have long!"

The two darted down a side street and burst into the open at a full sprint. Across the other side of the vast open space, they saw Bakura, a knife pointed at his chest with both hands on it, ready to strike.

"Bakura, stop!"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Malik sat in a corner, his mind reeling as Bakura's words finally sank in. Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he barely noticed them. He was shaking from the shock, physically unable to calm his body. Bakura had been the one all along. Bakura had been his father's killer.

His tears began to slow as he took deep, calming breaths, and he peered round the room he was in. Somehow, he'd found Bakura's old hidey-hole. The place Bakura had taken him the first time they'd met, when Bakura had rescued him from the city guards [2]. Something had drawn him there.

He rocked forward onto his knees, slouching in the dust, and softly traced the floor with his fingertips. It was here they'd first introduced themselves. Here Bakura had taken him on as his study. Here they'd first made love together. For better or worse, here was where Malik's life had turned around.

"Bakura…" the boy softly whispered.

Malik loved him. No matter how much he hated him, he still loved him too. He could feel it as the memories of their first time came back. Bakura had been so gentle with him; the first time anyone had been for so many years. Bakura had shown genuine feelings for him, something he'd been starved of for so long. And Malik had returned them. He still did.

"What can I do…?" he whispered. He hated Bakura for what he did… but loved him for who he was. Was he just bearing grudges from the past? Did it really still hurt so much after all this time?

"You can come with us."

Malik cried out as he felt both of his arms being roughly grabbed, the two guards pinning him to the floor and twisting his arms behind his back. He felt a rough piece of rope being wrapped around his wrists as he struggled, kicking at the guards in vain. He'd let his guard down for that moment, and now…

"There's quite a nice price on your head, pretty little thief," one of the guards smirked. "You're coming to the palace with us, so we can get our reward."

With that, Malik was hoisted roughly up onto one of the guards' shoulders, and carried away.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Did you see that?" Adair whispered.  
Akemi nodded in reply. "Bakura needs to know."

*~*~*~*~*~*

[1] Exegesis [ek-ze-je-sis]: Explanation, definition. It's actually an English word – I came across it and had to expand my vocabulary!  
[2] If you don't understand this reference, Forbidden Love Chapter 6 explains it.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Please review! 


	12. A New Flame Burns

Hello again everyone! After a brief break, and a quick stint in the Spirited Away fandom, Bazu is back! (Spot the _blatant_ self promo!)

Reviews

Misseystar: Yes, that was premonition, to an extent. He's obviously having a little trouble controlling it at the moment though!  
thunder mouse pikachu: Yugi isn't actually a God of anything, as far as the story has said for now at least. That was just a kind of divine flash, warning him. There is a hint as to why in this chapter.

_Special thanks also to:_ ObiWanGirl, CrazyAboutYugi, Ril, Countessina, Abi2, White Phoenix Eternal, trekkie-54, Bi Panda, Yami Yami Yugi, Yugi-obsessed, Kitty Neko, Anna EC, Babsey The Great, DarkWolf193, BadLuckShuichi, yamiyugifanadic, tamachan444, Tahirah, Flowers, Dark Amethystunicorn, SoulDreamer, Insane Pineapple from Naboo, Sabby-chan Yaoi Fan, Madame Ruby, Sabbie The Unloved Goddess, Smarty1, One Winged Tenshi, Evil Cheese Of Doom and Morgaine: Lady of the Lake.

* * *

_Yugi suddenly froze mid-step as more images assailed him, though this time they were far less powerful than before. "The courtyard!" he yelled, turning and running back a little way with Yami close behind him. "He's there! We don't have long!"_

The two darted down a side street and burst into the open at a full sprint. Across the other side of the vast open space, they saw Bakura, a knife pointed at his chest with both hands on it, ready to strike.

"Bakura, stop!"

If the thief heard them, he made no sign of it. He appeared to be whispering to himself, his eyes clenched shut as he tried to psyche himself up for the final blow. The blade began bobbing up and down slightly, as if Bakura was giving himself a countdown, and a single tear slipped down his cheek.

Bakura didn't want to die. He didn't want to go to Duat; to face Am-Heh's ferocious wrath. He didn't want to leave the world behind. He didn't want to leave his friends. But he had no choice. He'd hurt Malik; he'd hurt the families of the other guards… and he'd just keep on hurting people. Better to spare them now, than drag them down with him.

It wasn't like there was anything to stay for now anyway.

"Bakura!" The sound of two people slowing from a run to a stop accompanied this call.

Against his will, Bakura paused, hesitantly turning to see who'd called him.

"Bakura, stop!"

"Leave me!" he cried, tightening his grip on the blade. "I'm warning you, I'll do it!"

"No," Yugi whispered. "If we weren't here, you'd have already done it. We're not leaving you Bakura."

"Go away!"

"Bakura!" Yami barked, stepping closer. "What's wrong with you? And where's Malik?"

That did it for Bakura. Without a word, he let go of the knife, allowing it to slowly drop from his fingers. "I don't know…" he whispered softly. "I don't know where he is…" Bakura dropped to his knees as he finished talking, his body slumped in a dejected fashion, and he took a deep, shuddery breath. "Malik's father… Yami, I was the one who defiled your father's tomb… I killed Malik's father… I told him tonight, and he…" Bakura's eyes lidded slowly, and his fist curled up by his side. "He left me… he swore he hated me, and he left…"

'That must have been what I saw,' Yugi realised. 'I somehow saw them having that conversation… but how…?'

"But where is he now?" Yami persisted, sure that they'd be able to get something out of Bakura.

"I don't _know_!" the boy cried. "I wouldn't be here if I did!"

With an exclamation of defeat, Bakura snatched the blade up again. "I can't live without him!" he sobbed. "I don't want to!" He raised the blade to arm's length, and – not hesitating this time – thrust it directly toward his throat.

"Bakura!" Yami cried in horror. "Don't!"

* * *

Adair and Akemi both stopped in their tracks. "Was that the Pharaoh?"

Akemi nodded. "He was calling to Bakura. He must be over there."

Adair shot a glance at Akemi. "Well done genius," he remarked, beginning to run. "How about less talk and more action?"

Akemi glared silently at Adair's retreating form for half a second. He hated the boy's cockiness sometimes. For now, though, he had to just let it drop. There were other more important things to worry about.

Wordlessly, he too began to run in the direction of the courtyard, and within a couple of seconds had caught up to his more arrogant counterpart.

* * *

None of the three boys were sure of what had just happened.

As far as Yami had been able to see, Bakura should have been as good as dead. The blade had come far too close to his throat – even Bakura shouldn't have been able to stop that in time. Nothing short of divine intervention would have saved him. Yet _something _had. The blade was suddenly halfway across the courtyard, and Bakura was on the floor, only semiconscious.

Bakura's thoughts – as incoherent as they were – lay largely in the same direction as Yami's. He hadn't seen either boy move – they hadn't had a chance to – and he could have sworn he even felt the tip of the blade on his throat. He reached up to his neck with one hand and wiped at the base of it, finding a small smear of blood on his fingers. So yes, the blade had scratched him, and the other two had been too far to do anything. Even if they had been close enough, they wouldn't have been able to react in time. All Bakura knew was that he hadn't stopped it, and his head suddenly hurt _badly_.

What the hell had happened?

Yugi lay sprawled on the floor, the cobblestones incredibly uncomfortable for his delicate frame. All he could remember was Bakura picking the knife up and trying to kill himself. He remembered he'd panicked… but then what? All off a sudden, the knife was right out of the way, and he was here. Slowly sitting up, allowing his vision to catch up with him, he glanced about.

No-one else was around. No-one could have thrown anything, and he and Yami were still where they'd been. So what had stopped Bakura? Who or what had done it?

_Destiny._

The word flicked through Yugi's mind in a split second, and was gone again. He hadn't even heard a voice; it was like he'd _felt _it being said, like how you can sometimes tell someone's crying without hearing or seeing them. You just feel it, somehow.

"Hey guys… did you just–"

Yugi was cut off by a yell from the nearest wall of the courtyard. "Bakura!"

The tomb robber eased himself up into a seated position, confusion still across his face, and saw Adair and Akemi hop down from the wall, having climbed it as their fastest means of getting in. "Bakura!" Adair cried again.

The tomb robber climbed shakily to his feet, dusting himself down. "…yeah?" he asked, not sure that he wanted to know. The boys seemed panicked, which could only mean more trouble for him – which he didn't need right now.

"It's Malik!" Akemi called from behind Adair. "We just saw him get–"

"Malik?!" Bakura cried, rushing over to meet the two halfway. Suddenly, his worry about the knife was forgotten as something more important arose. "Where?" he demanded, grabbing Adair by the shoulders and shaking him, as if it'd get the answers out more quickly. "Where is he?"

"We just saw the guards take him," Akemi explained. "So right now he's probably in the palace cells already."

Bakura let go of Adair, stepping back as his left hand curled into a fist. His arm shaking with the tension, he brought it up to his chest, over his breastbone, and stared down at it as if examining it. "I see…" he murmured quietly, his arm beginning to shake even more violently. "In the cells…"

Without a word, Bakura deftly spun round, striding across the courtyard and picking his knife up, sheathing it once again. He carried on in the same direction, padding almost completely silently across the cobbled stones. "I'll be back in the morning," he stated over his shoulder. "Don't wait up for me."

"Wait Bakura!" Yugi called. "Don't go yet!"  
Bakura stopped dead, and turned to glare at the boy. "And why not?"  
Yugi faltered. "I…"  
"Don't you understand Yugi? Malik is in trouble! If I don't go and rescue him now, he could be _dead _by morning!"  
"But you can't go… not now…" Yugi whispered.  
"And why not?"

_Destiny._

Again, that feeling floated round Yugi's mind. "I… don't know…" he admitted quietly. "But I know you can't… please, Bakura…"

"Bakura," Yami called. "Yugi somehow knew you were going to try to hurt yourself. Somehow, he _knew _you'd be here. I don't know if even he knows how… but right now, I think we should trust him. He is the son of a God."

"I don't care!" Bakura snarled angrily. "Right now, Malik could be getting beaten, or raped, or having his execution planned or anything! I _have _to go and rescue him!"

"Bakura," Akemi softly called. "Think about it. They'll be waiting for you. What good will you be to Malik if they kill you?"

"I don't–"

"_Bakura_," Akemi interrupted. "Wait 'til morning. We can all go together, and help you. I think we know someone who can get us and the Pharaoh into the palace without causing as big a fuss."

"You do?" Adair asked, surprised. "Who?"

"Lateef, of course."

* * *

At Bakura's house, everyone sat together, Lateef blinking sleepily at having been dragged out of bed. "What do you mean, I can get you into the palace?"

"That 'Masika' girl," Akemi stated. "You and her get on well. All you need to do is get into the palace, pose as a slave, and find her. Get her to let us in, and we can march straight through and get Malik back. The Pharaoh can go and challenge the High Priest, and everyone's happy."

"Sounds too easy," Bakura snorted. "Something'll go wrong, and you know it. What if Masika calls the guards? What if Lateef gets caught sneaking in? What if Malik's al-fucking-ready dead?" He was still pissed off that the others had refused to let him go now, rather than tomorrow, and was deliberately heaping scepticism upon the plan as his means of venting.

"Of course it's too easy!" Adair exclaimed. "That's where the fun part comes into play. We'll have to slay Gods know how many guards to be able to rescue Malik, and the Pharaoh will doubtless have to slay Set too!" Adair's face grew a large grin. "Come on Bakura, since when have you ever been one to turn down a chance for revenge?"

Bakura positively snarled at Adair in reply. It was revenge that had caused all this in the first place. It was ultimately because Bakura had gone for revenge that Malik was arrested now. And the sequence didn't end there – how many guards would they have to kill to free Malik? How many more children would he be responsible for rendering fatherless? "No," he stated through gritted teeth. "It won't be fun. If possible, we don't kill anyone. Knock them out, put them out of action, but we don't kill. Except you, Yami," Bakura added, turning his gaze to the Pharaoh. "If you don't kill that bastard High Priest, you'll have a lot to answer for – to me, your people and the Gods. Make sure you get it right."

This order didn't even warrant a response. It went without saying that Yami's plan was exactly that. There would be no mercy for the butcher. Tomorrow, the tear of every parent of every person he'd had killed would judge the High Priest. The grief of the mother; the anger of the father; the cries from the children; they would all burn in Yami's heart as he broke Set's reign of terror. He would be the people's Pharaoh once again.

"Lateef," Yugi began, speaking softly and breaking the tense atmosphere in the room. "Do you think you could get us in to the palace? I mean, do you think Masika would trust you?"

Lateef, who had been sitting in silence all this time, maintained that silence for a few moments longer. "…I don't know," he finally admitted. "It's true that we get on well, but… it's asking her to take a huge risk. If she gets found out, and if something were to go wrong, she would suffer horribly. So would her grandmother, and her grandmother is the most important thing in the world to her. I'm willing to try, even if it is all I can do… but I can't speak for her. It'd be like asking you to get us in, knowing Yami's life was on the line. Would you do it?"

The room fell almost completely silent at this, as they mulled the answer over. Yugi, Yami and Bakura in particular looked deep in thought, each wondering if they could risk their love's life, knowing that the reward for success would be Egypt's liberation.

"…I couldn't…" Yami finally admitted.  
"…I don't know if I could…" Bakura hesitantly added, referring to Malik.  
Yugi waited the longest of all before answering. He could feel the eyes in the room on him, and he wanted to word his answer carefully. "…I don't know either…" he finally confessed, contemplation deep in his eyes. "I've been away from Yami before, so at least I wouldn't fear the unknown… and I've died before, so I know what awaits on the other side… but even knowing that, it's so hard to risk it. How hard would it be for Masika, knowing she risked losing everything and not knowing for certain that she could get it back again?"

Lateef nodded slowly. "I glad you all understand what we're asking of her," he whispered, before – perhaps for the first time in his life – a steely look came into his eyes. "But I'll try. For my friends, and the people of Egypt, I'll try."

* * *

Please review! 


	13. The Beginning of the End?

Yeah yeah, here's more, yadda yadda... 

Reviews

thunder mouse pikachu: . So any questions... but to be fair, mot of those are either going to be answered later in the fic, or left open for you to decide. The knife one is one of the latter - could have been Yugi, could have been a God, could have been a God through Yugi... it's up to you to decide.  
DAU: That 'Princessbazzerman' thing really isn't an avenue you want to persue... trust me... 

_Special thanks also to:_ ObiWanGirl, Madame Ruby, Evil Cheese Of Doom, White Phoenix Eternal, s.h.i.r.o.i.k.e.t.s.u.e.k.i, Kitty Neko, Ril, trekkie-54, Babsey, yamiyugifanadic, Yugi-obsessed, One Winged Tenshi, Morgaine: Lady of the Lake, meowblecat, DarkWolf193, Bi Panda, Athena5897, Sabbie The Unloved Goddess, Silvershadowfire, Tahirah, blueraydragongirl, Latias gang, Taddybear and Insane Pineapple from Naboo! 

Please note: To the best of my knowledge, torture wasn't a common practice in Egypt. I've included it in this chapter simply because it fits both the scene and Set's persona. I feel I should also point out I was in a very odd mood while writing this chapter, and to be honest I think it's possibly the worst one of this series… Still, read on and enjoy...

* * *

"This is definitely the right window?" 

Bakura sighed, his voice heavy with frustration, and nodded. "_Yes_. Malik and I mapped out the entire palace's layout when we were planning to kidnap Yugi–" The smaller tricolour-haired boy looked a little disturbed by this revelation, but said nothing. "–And I'm telling you, this window will drop him into the room where they keep the slave garments. All he has to do then is take one and he's safe to go look for that girl." 

"Masika," Adair corrected, earning a glare from Bakura. 

"The name doesn't matter right now. What we need to do is get in without causing a fuss, and she's the one to do it for us." 

Lateef still looked uncertain. "But what if she doesn't want to help?" 

"Then we do it my way," came the simple reply as Bakura unsheathed a knife, testing its weight by balancing it on one finger. As the prior night had worn on, Bakura had gradually calmed down, and even begun to warm to this plan. It still wasn't his first choice, but he had to grudgingly concede that there was a certain sense of logic to it. 

"…oh…" Lateef murmured. He knew exactly what Bakura meant by that. "But… what about a subtle break-in?" he queried, not overly keen on the idea of getting into a fight. 

"Subtlety isn't my strong point." 

Adair gaped at Bakura at this remark. "Bakura, you're a _tomb robber!_ What do you mean, subtlety isn't your–" 

Yami placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and shook his head. "We've been through this before." 

Lateef stood below the window, staring up at it. "So…" he began, pointing as he spoke. "I need to climb on there, shimmy across there, drop down to there, climb all the way up there and jump onto there, _hoping_ I can make it, and then climb in?" 

Bakura nodded. "That's basically it, yeah." 

Lateef nodded, swallowing heavily. If he were to be completely honest with the others, he was absolutely terrified right now. He knew that he could be executed if anything went wrong, and that was assuming he even made it into the palace. Staring at the final jump he'd have to make, the task seemed more and more immense with each passing second. He could literally see in his mind's eye what would happen if he jumped badly. If he couldn't make that gap, which seemed to be growing wider each time he blinked in the sunlight… 

That was a long way to fall. 

"Well?" Bakura demanded, frowning at Lateef. "You ready?" The boy hesitated, and Bakura frowned slightly more, stepping forward menacingly. "Not backing out, are you?" 

"N… No, of course not," Lateef replied with a weak laugh. "I was just… sizing it up, that's all." Sighing heavily, Lateef resigned himself to his fate. Stretching up to the first ledge, he readied himself to begin his challenge. 

"Lateef, you're shaking." 

Lateef cringed at Adair's observation. "N… No I'm not…" he replied. "That's just…" 

"Just go, you idiot," the raven-haired boy interrupted. 

With one more sigh, Lateef jumped up, gripping the ledge tightly and pulling himself up, scrabbling up the last little bit of the wall. When he realised he'd made it, and that nothing had broken or been bruised or caved in, he was slightly more encouraged and began to clamber up the next couple of levels, carefully making sure he didn't slip and lose his grip. As he felt himself sat on a solid surface once again, he breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all… 

"Be careful that you don't slip on this one, Lateef!" 

Lateef gave a small whimper as he looked down to see who had spoken and saw the distance he already was from the floor. Pressing himself flat against the wall, he began shuffling along the narrow ledge that he had to traverse, wincing every time something crumbled under his feet – no matter how slight – and slowly closed the gap on his next goal.

* * *

"It'd be easier if you just talked, you know," the palace executioner explained to Malik. 

The captive simply glared at his interrogator. "I'd rather chew my own testicles off than tell you where Bakura is," he snorted, sorely tempted to try and spit on the man, who currently held a whip in his hands. 

"We may well have crocodiles who'd do that," the man before Malik countered warningly. "And I don't think you're in a position to stop them." 

This was a true enough observation. Currently, Malik's ankles were shackled to the floor, and his wrists were manacled together above his head together so that he couldn't lash out with his hands. He'd had his robes and his top removed so that his chest and back were bare to any assault upon them, his front already beginning to bruise from earlier beatings given to him by the guards. He was clearly in some pain, and was sweating slightly from the exertions already forced upon him. 

"I guess you must have been one of the guards for the Pharaoh's concubines then," Malik grinned in reply. "Since it seems you don't have the balls to face up to me properly." [1] 

Malik's foe visibly twitched at this. It seemed Malik had just managed to get under his skin. "We'll see how cocky you are in a minute," the man snarled, before striding round behind Malik and drawing his arm round behind himself. 

A loud report filled the room as the whip cracked across Malik's back, the boy crying out and gritting his teeth as the laceration seared his flesh. Panting heavily, feeling the movement of his chest pulling at the burning area, Malik forced himself to calm down. No matter what else, he wouldn't give this bastard the satisfaction of hearing him cry out again. He had to keep fighting any way he could. "Sorry," he began with a small laugh. "But Bakura does it harder than that when we're _playing_ with each other. You're gonna have to do a lot better." 

The guard obliged, bringing the whip down again, and Malik hissed silently between his teeth as he felt the burn begin to spread across his back once again. "Planning on talking any time soon, pretty boy?" the guard sneered, not sounding like he particularly cared either way. 

Again, a barked laugh came from Malik. "I'll see you begging for your life on your knees first," he snorted derisively. 

A third whip crack filled the room. "You just don't learn, do you?"

* * *

Lateef stared across the gap before him. Somehow, it didn't seem so far from this angle. Maybe his perspective had been thrown by the height earlier, he pondered. Taking a few measured paces back, he took a deep breath and began to run forward. 

The next thing Lateef realised, he was laying on a stone surface, his head throbbing slightly. Sitting up, he had a quick look round, realising simply from the fact that he was able to do so that he hadn't fallen to his death. "That's a bonus…" he murmured to himself, rubbing where he ached to check it wasn't bleeding. Peering over the side of the ledge he lay on, he saw his friends below him, Yami giving him a quick thumbs-up and Bakura gesturing for him to hurry up. 

"Huh…?" Lateef groggily groaned. 

Ah, yes. Gradually, it dawned on him that he must have made the jump. He'd focussed so hard on getting enough distance to clear the gap, though, that he hadn't allowed for the fact that there was a wall on the other side. Apparently the wall had remembered him. 

Lateef shakily climbed to his feet and made his way across to the nearby window, plopping down on the windowsill and pushing himself into the building. Bakura had assured him there'd be a shelf immediately below him, and that he could climb down from there. 

Going by the shriek that was closely followed by a splash, this hadn't quite gone as planned. 

"Bakura…?" Yami began slowly. "Are you _sure_ that was the right window?" 

The tomb robber was frowning, a thoughtful look on his face. "Left hand side, fifth window up, north face of the East Tower. I don't know what went wrong…" 

The Pharaoh visibly cringed at this, and even Yugi clapped a hand to his forehead in disbelief. "Bakura, you _idiot,_" Yami sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. "This is the east face of the North Tower. Where did you just send Lateef?" 

Bakura smirked a little too innocently, giving the game away. "I couldn't possibly imagine," he stated airily.

* * *

Groaning, Lateef pushed himself up to his hands and knees, bringing his head above the water's surface, keeping his face tipped down as he panted to get his breath back. He was fairly certain that his scream hadn't alerted anyone, else the guards would already be in here, so he was probably safe for now. Going by the stone floor and the warmth of the water, though, he was in what seemed to be one of those baths he'd heard about. If so, whoever it had been drawn for would probably be here soon, so, he decided, he'd better escape fast. 

"…" 

Sinking back so he was sat on his heels, Lateef placed his hands on his thighs, closing his eyes and momentarily pausing to catch a couple more breaths. That done, he heaved a heavy sigh of relief that he was okay thus far, and began to climb out. 

"…" 

Suddenly, Lateef felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he realised that he wasn't alone in the room. Somehow, he could feel the silence around him was being forced, like someone was deliberately keeping quiet. His eyes quickly flicked up, his head following, and he looked round for any sign of anyone else, his heart racing as all sorts of awful scenarios flashed through his head. What if the guards were already there? Even worse, what if _Set_ was there? What if it was his bath?! 

Soon enough, Lateef's eyes caught a figure, and widened as they settled on it. Sat in the same bath not four feet away from him, one arm raised in the air and the other pressing a scrubbing cloth to it, looking almost as stunned as he did, was a pretty, young and _naked_ girl with sun-bleached hair. Her eyes were so wide they looked like they might drop out of her head, and all she could do was blink at him. 

Lateef's jaw dropped, and he stared back, his mouth flapping uselessly like a fish out of water for a few seconds. "Uh… uh…" he began to stammer, desperately trying to break the silence. "Uh… uhm… h-hi, Masu…" The girl continued to stare at him, and he fumbled nervously for his words. He doubted the situation could get much worse, at any rate. "Uhm… c-could I talk to you, about s-something, if you have a moment?" 

The girl's expression didn't change once. "No time like the present," she quietly murmured in reply, looking Lateef up and down cautiously. Slowly, as though it were being forcibly held at bay, her cheeks began to faintly tint red, and the hand of her outstretched arm rotated round so it was pointing toward the floor beside her, where a pile of clothes lay. Still stuck with the same expression, in the same mid-wash position, she added in a voice that sounded so nonchalant it _had_ to be forced, "Mind if I get dressed first?" 

It was like the situation finally hit Lateef. His cheeks suddenly flushed brilliant red, and he almost fell out of the bath as he left it, eager to give Masika some privacy. "Uh-uh-uhm, s-sure, take your time…" he stuttered, turning so he faced the wall with his back to Masika. "I'm not going anywhere," he noted. 

A gentle slosh of water came from behind him, and Lateef blushed brighter, knowing Masika – as naked as the day she was born – had just stood up. "Indeed," she quietly replied, her own cheeks suddenly flushing brilliant red as she scurried across the room to get a towel so she could dry herself before she got dressed.

* * *

Malik panted heavily as the palace executioner ceased his whipping for a moment, trying to accommodate the biting pain that was currently running through him. He could feel blood seeping down his back from the lacerations the whip had left, and his whole torso felt like it was on fire when he inhaled too deeply. For half a second, his vision swam as his body tried to simply escape the pain by passing out, but he fought it off, preferring instead to keep warring. 

The executioner strode around to Malik's front, jabbing the butt of the whip into the underside of his chin and tipping his head up with it, ignoring the grimace on Malik's face. A cruel smirk passed his lips as he felt Malik's laboured breathing against his cheek. "Just so you know, my little pet," the guard taunted. "I've been told that if I don't get answers from you, my head is on the line. I'm currently rather attached to my head, and I plan to keep it that way. So you'd best start talking if you don't want to suffer more." 

Malik panted again as, with a slight upward thrust, the torturer took his whip away from the boy's neck. "Sorry to disappoint you," he smirked, trying to hide the pain in his voice. "But I guess your precious High Priest's gonna have a new flowerpot made from your skull." 

Malik's vision suddenly exploded, and he grunted in pain as he felt something strike his temple. Stars swam before his eyes as he saw the bully step back, and he shook his head to try to re-focus his sight. "You'd be wise to watch your tongue," the guard growled. "Else you may find you suddenly lose it." 

Groggily, Malik lifted his head again. "So how would you get your answers then?" he asked with a grin, refusing to give in to threats. 

A thin sneer crossed the guard's lips. "I think we'll have fun finding out…"

* * *

"…wow," was all Masika could manage in response to Lateef's explanation. "You mean, the Pharaoh's really come back? For good?" 

"That's the plan," Lateef explained, kneeling down in front of Masika. "So we need you to help us get into the palace, through a side door or anything." 

"And you'd be wearing that outfit now because you have to pose as a slave so you don't get captured, right?" 

Lateef nodded, blushing brightly. "Yes…" he murmured, fingering the edge of the garment uncomfortably. Masika noted this, and smiled. "Oh come on, it looks good on you, really." 

"It's a skirt!" Lateef cried in a low voice, still keen on not attracting the guards. "How can I wear this in front of the others?" 

Masika giggled. "Well, actually, if you're posing as a female slave, we'll have to make you my personal slave, since you'd stand out otherwise. I mean, sure, you lack in the chest area, but a bit of make-up and no-one'll know…" 

"_What?!_" Lateef hissed. "I can't do that!" 

"It's that or you get captured. And what then?" 

Lateef sighed in defeat, hanging his head. Hearing Masika's giggle, he looked up at her through one eye. "You could at least have a little sympathy," he sulked. "It's not like I'd normally volunteer for this…" 

"Oh stop whining," Masika chirped back happily, reaching for a small box beside her, which – Lateef assumed – contained the make-up he was about to be assaulted with. "I mean, if I'm going to help you guys get in, I should at least be allowed a little fun, given what I'll be risking." 

A quiet gasp, a delighted one, shot through the room. "You mean… you'll do it?" 

Masika smiled softly, gently stroking Lateef's hair back over his shoulders. "Well… there is one thing…" she murmured, looking away shyly. Following Lateef's inquisitive 'Hmm?' she looked back toward him. "I was just wondering…" she murmured, lightly draping an arm either side of Lateef's shoulders. Lateef looked from one to the other, panicked, and stared up at Masika, totally unsure of what was happening. "Y-you were wondering…?" 

"I was wondering…" Masika confirmed, lightly licking her lips. "…if you taste as good as you look." 

Before Lateef could do anything by way of reply, he felt a set of lips pressed up against his own, Masika's arms clutching at his shoulders as she stole a kiss from the object of her affections.

* * *

Outside, Bakura paced back and forth impatiently. "Where are they?" he growled in annoyance, glaring up at the window for the umpteenth time. "How long does it take someone to open a door?" 

Yami and Yugi gave each other a long-suffering glance, mildly amused by Bakura's anxiety but totally understanding it. After all, it wasn't like waiting to rescue someone was something he tended to do every day. "I'm sure they'll be here soon," Yami said in a placating voice, trying to calm the tomb robber. "You have to give them a chance for the opportunity to arise first." 

Bakura growled again, angrily kicking at a pile of sand. "I've had enough," he snarled, turning and walking determinedly in the direction that would take him to the first door he could recall. "I'm going in, to Duat with this freaking plan!" 

Yami began to move after Bakura, but stopped as he saw the tomb robber suddenly tip over backwards as if struck by something, another figure bouncing off him and sprawling into the dirt. He instead hurried over to aid the stranger, knowing Bakura would be fine. Bending down, he took the girl's shoulders gently and eased her up. "You okay, miss?" 

The face that looked at him seemed disturbingly familiar, behind the massive blush. "It's me, Lateef!" Lateef hissed, blushing even more brightly and looking annoyed at the same time. "And if you dare ask about this get-up, I swear I'll summon every guard I can find!" 

Adair and Yugi both shuffled over behind Yami, Bakura sitting up to stare as well, and stood in silence for a moment. "…you look a little flustered," Adair remarked with a smirk. 

"Of course I do!" Lateef almost shrieked. "I just fell six cubits into a bath tub that someone was using! I had to wear a skirt because it was the only outfit available! Masu _insisted_ I wear this make-up with it, and to top it off I just had my first kiss and didn't even realise what was happening until I'd been pinned to the floor!" he cried, flailing his arms about. "Now are we going to go and use this damned door, or are we going to sit and stare at me for the rest of the day?!" 

At that, Bakura hopped up to his feet, quickly making the decision for everyone else. "We're going in!"

* * *

[1] In the olden days, guardians of the Harem would have had their testicles removed to ensure they weren't 'tempted' by the girls in there.

* * *

Okay... let's not be too harsh about this... well actually, be brutal. Maybe it'l knock some sense into me.  
Just so you all know, Lateef and Masika aren't going to be a major pairing. They're together for the benefit of the storyline, not for excessive fluff or lemons. That'll be saved for our bishies! ::peeks around:: ...maybe...  
Please review? chibi-eyes 


	14. I can't let you down

Eek! Sorrysorrysorry for taking so long to update! hangs self Thank you everyone that left a review, and to those that enquired about Hikarism, simply send me an email (address is in my profile) and I'll give you details!

Now, on with the fic!

* * *

"So where do we want to go first?"

Masika, closely followed by Bakura and Lateef, was leading the troupe through the palace's corridors, ducking into quieter passages where she could so as to reduce the group's chances of being spotted. Through sheer weight of numbers alone – her, Lateef, Bakura, Yugi, Yami, Adair and Akemi – there was no chance that they'd be able to convince any guards that they were supposed to be there. Coupling that with the fact that Bakura was a wanted criminal, if not _the_ wanted criminal, that the Pharaoh was amongst them and that Adair and Akemi were clearly just peasants – Yugi and Lateef were still in their slave clothing – the group stood out like a Pyramid on the Saqqara plains.

"Wherever Malik's being held," Yami called from the rear. "We could use the back-up, and it's better that we get to him sooner rather than later." Bakura grunted his approval of this suggestion, and Masika nodded, leading the group down a new series of tunnels.

"I swear," Bakura growled to Lateef warningly as they hurried along. "If they've already killed him, and we missed our chance because you took so long to get us in here..."

Masika suddenly stopped right where she was, causing Bakura and Lateef to almost cannon into her. Spinning round, she fixed the tomb robber with a glare. "Leave him alone!" she hissed, standing nose to nose with the thief. "It's solely _because_ of him that you got in here in the first place! Without him getting me to help you, you'd all have been swamped by guards a long time ago!" Masika leaned even closer to Bakura, and the thief actually shrank back a little in worry. There was something so feral about her anger, so like the great cats of the desert, that he couldn't help wondering if there was someone else behind her granting her extra ferocity. Given that she wore the pendant of Bastet – he'd noted that earlier – it probably shouldn't have been as surprising as it was. [1] "I bet you don't even know where the cells are, do you?" At Bakura's shaking of his head in response, Masika backed down again, smiling sweetly and shaking her hair about a little as if shaking off the animosity. "Well then, let's carry on, shall we?"

Spinning on the spot, she turned and continued on down the corridors, leaving Bakura and Lateef to stare at each other, stunned.

"She's not human," Bakura breathed, his eyes still wide from shock. "No human could be that frightening."

"She's a girl," Lateef replied quietly. "They do that. They're very good at it."

In silence, the troupe began following Masika once more.

* * *

"He'll be down there," Masika stated quietly as she stood at the top of the stairs that led to the cells under the sand outside the palace. "That's where they keep all the notable prisoners. Set had it built after you left, Pharaoh." The girl shivered slightly, before continuing to speak. "I went down there once, to see what it was like..." Masika trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. The haunted look on her face told that it hadn't been pretty though.

"So let's go then," Bakura stated, beginning to barge his way past Masika in his hurry. However, Yami caught his shoulder and hauled him back.

"Let her go down first," he stated. "She can give us some idea of how many are in there, ad they'd be less likely to attack her."

Bakura turned to glare at Yami, his voice a low and angry hiss. "Do you plan to actually let _me_ do _anything_ to rescue _my_ boyfriend, or am I supposed to just stand and cheer you all on?"

Yami met Bakura's glare with one of his own, as icy-cold as when he had been Pharaoh previously, and for a moment Yugi worried that their alliance might have been broken there and then. "I am _Pharaoh,_" Yami hissed back. "You do what I tell you, when I tell you. Right now, I'm telling you to wait. Later, when I tell you to fight, I expect you to be an unstoppable one-man army. Am I making myself clear?"

Bakura's glare darkened even further, the blackened hatred radiating from his face a direct contrast to the cold, crystalline sparkle in Yami's eyes. "'When' you tell me?" he growled. "What if I don't want to by then?"

If this implied threat bothered Yami, he didn't show it. In fact, if anything it seemed to amuse him. "I don't think that's too likely," he replied bluntly.

"And what makes you so confident?"

"The fact that Malik will be alive and at the other end of the room."

A lengthy pause issued from the self-proclaimed King of Thieves. "...so why is the girl still staring at us and not scouting then?"

At a nod from Yami, a smile on his face at this tactful admission of defeat from Bakura, Masika turned and began quietly down the stairs, closely trailed by Lateef. As scared as he was, he didn't intend to let Masu go down on her own. Not with the unknown facing them.

* * *

Masika peered cautiously round the corner, ready to duck her head back at the slightest hint that someone might look toward her. Oddly, though, it seemed as if the passage was deserted. A frown on her face and her lips pursed, Masika deftly slipped around the corner, followed by her companion. Their footsteps rang eerily as they made their way forward, the light scuffing sounds echoing off the walls with incredible ease. Something seemed off about the silence that had engulfed them once they'd entered the tunnel. It was as if it were being forced, like it wasn't a natural silence. It was as if...

"Masu!" Lateef hissed almost impossibly quietly. "I think there's someone-"

The sound of a stone clattering across the floor made them both spin round, and their eyes opened wide in fear. Taking in the guard before him, Lateef took a step back, standing directly in front of Masika, determined to protect her. The fact that he was visibly shaking didn't help their cause, of course.

* * *

Yami glanced toward Bakura, his face deadly serious but his eyes smirking. "_Now_ you can go and fight."

* * *

Lateef and Masika both backed up slowly as the guard bore down on them, being careful not to move too far in case they alerted another guard, but at the same time trying to keep their distance from the first one. Lateef kept his arms spread wide and swept back behind him, doing his best to shield Masika, but knew that if the guard actually tried anything, there was very little he'd actually be able to offer by way of defence. To say the situation was bleak would be like remarking that the desert was 'quite warm.'

Suddenly, the guard let out a bellow of pain, sinking to one knee and reaching behind him, pulling a length of metal with a point at one end out of his leg. Over the guard's shoulder, Lateef spotted a very welcome figure.

Bakura strode forward with a smirk, the rest of their party behind him, and grabbed the guard by his hair, tipping his head back and pressing a knife to his throat. "Listen carefully," he hissed, his eyes hardened with anger. "I don't want to have to kill you. I don't what to put anyone else through what I put Malik through. But so my lord Ra shall help me, I will if I have to, you understand?"

The frightened bleat in response was confirmation enough that the guard understood _very_ well. Carefully placing one knee against the guard's spine to restrict his movement should he stupidly try anything, Bakura directed his attention to Yami. "So what now?"

The Pharaoh's gaze drifted from Bakura's face to over Bakura's shoulder. "We have a problem..."

Again, this could be termed quite a large understatement. From ahead in the passage a large number of guards had appeared, weapons drawn, attracted by their companion's scream. In a more open field – with Malik to back them up and room to move – they might stand a chance. As it was, only Yami and Bakura could fight, and they had no space in which to out-manoeuvre their enemies.

"A _big_ problem."

Bakura spun round, dragging Lateef and Masika out of the way, and kicked the guard he'd been holding down to the floor, backing off and drawing a knife for each hand. Certain death or not, Bakura intended to fight. Yami guided Lateef and Masika further back, pulling out his trusted axe – the same as had been used in the attempt to rescue Yugi – and stood by Bakura's side, their alliance very much in tact. "Bakura, you remember I told you I wanted you to be a one-man army?"

"I know! You'd best lead by example, _Pharaoh!"_

"I wouldn't expect you to ask anything other!"

A clamour of footsteps came from the stairs behind them, and the five non-fighters spun round in panic, not sure what to do. If they had to fight, they'd do it bare-handed. It'd mean death, but maybe it'd buy Yami and Bakura enough time.

In the commotion, no-one saw Yugi's small hand gesture. Nor did they hear his quiet prayer uttered to the Gods.

"What's going on here?!"

Jounouchi's voice rang out from the stairs and down the corridor, each man freezing and directing their attention to the fair-haired man and his darker-haired second. Barely pausing for a second, Jou stepped down from the stairwell, the small mob at the bottom parting for him, and made his way over to stand between the Pharaoh and the guards. "Why are you challenging him?!" he demanded of his men.

A voice spoke up from somewhere in the middle of the crowd. "Lord Set commanded us to defend the prisoner at all costs!"

This time, Honda spoke up, his voice practically biting at whoever had launched such a feeble defence. "When you became a guard, who did you swear your loyalty to?" he snapped.

Another guard spoke up, his voice shaky. "...the Pharaoh..."

"And who is stood before you?"

Not awaiting an answer, Jou and Honda turned as one to face their master, kneeling before him and touching their foreheads to the floor in the usual mark of respect. "My Lord," they both stated as one. "Please forgive our men, for they have been misguided."

From behind them came the sound of weapons being reluctantly lowered to the floor, the guards one by one taking the lead from their chiefs and bowing down, recognising their duty to the true lord of the two lands. "Oh Mighty Pharaoh," they chorused as one, almost trembling with fear on the spot.

Yami paused for a moment, surveying them all awaiting his command. He was beginning to get his power back, and he was enjoying that old feeling once more. "Up, all of you," he stated. "We can't afford to waste time. Yugi and I must reclaim my throne."

Jou and Honda both as one took a step back, their faces stunned. "Y... Yugi?" Jou stuttered. "But... Set executed him..."

Yami gestured to the crowd behind him, where Yugi had stepped forward at hearing his name. "I'll explain once we have rescued Malik and regained my throne," he stated. "For now, there are more important matters."

Honda, blinking slowly, stepped forward and gradually passed Yami, respectfully facing toward him the whole time until he was behind him, and slowly made his way toward the little one. "Are... are you truly Yugi, whom our Lord professed to love over a year ago?"

Yugi nodded in reply to this. "He professed a year ago, he professed a week ago, and he will profess now if you need to hear it," he spoke softly. "My Lord loves me, and I love him."

Honda paused, his eyes lowered as he digested this information. "If this is true..." he murmured. "...then I owe you my allegiance also." Much to Yugi's surprise, Honda knelt down on one knee before him, his head bowed and his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Oh Mighty Prince," he uttered, keeping his gaze floorward. "To you, I swear the same oath I took for the Pharaoh. Your word is my duty."

From up the corridor came a general shuffle as the guards dropped to their knees again, this time facing toward Yugi, who looked quite flustered at this sudden high treatment. A general murmur signified that each and every man in the passage was making that same oath, to fight for Yugi as fiercely as they would their lord.

"Up, up!" Yami repeated, with half a mind to haul them up himself if need be. "We don't have time for this!" Swiftly, Yami resumed his role as leader, sending his troops out to battle. "You five," he commanded, singling out five guards. "Take those four-" At this, he gestured to Lateef, Masika, Adair and Akemi. "-somewhere safe. I don't want them getting hurt, understood?" The five bowed in acknowledgement of this order, and moved with surprising speed toward the four, two guards leading them up the stairwell, one in the middle and two behind. Satisfied, Yami resumed his directions. "You five," Yami called, picking out more of the remaining guards. "You will accompany Bakura to rescue Malik. His word is to be treated as my word, you understand?" All five bowed, and stepped aside to grant Bakura passage. "The rest of you," Yami continued. "Are to go out into the city, and order the people to prepare a festival to be held in one week. Tell them the Pharaoh has returned." The remaining guards bowed and hurried up the stairwell, eager to spread the good news to the long-suffering people.

"And what of us, oh mighty Pharaoh?" Jou asked. "What are mine and Honda's orders to be?"

"You two," Yami replied. "Are to escort me personally to the throne room, and aid me in Set's arrest."

Jou and Honda both as one looked utterly stunned – or at least as stunned as they had been earlier. "M... my lord..." Honda stammered, dropping down on one knee, followed by Jounouchi. "You honour us!"

Yami waved the two back to their feet. "I may find a promotion for you yet if you do your job well. Show me my faith isn't misplaced." Yami gave a nod to Bakura – having picked up the commoners' habit – and grinned. "See you both later."

Bakura nodded in reply, a smirk also on his face, and ran down the corridor, his personal retinue following behind him.

Yami turned and walked calmly to Yugi, the younger smiling up at him as he took his hand. An adoring gaze shining down on the boy, Yami's voice returned to the softer tone it had become more accustomed to. "Shall we?"

* * *

"You understand me?" Bakura called over his shoulder as they neared the end of the passage. "We are not to kill them unless they try to kill us first! If possible, just knock them unconscious!"

A series of grunted replies confirmed that the guards understood and accepted this order, even if they didn't know exactly why such an odd battle plan had been issued. However, Bakura's word was the Pharaoh's, and so what he said went unquestioningly.

Nodding his approval, Bakura continued his charge down the hallway, skidding to a halt as the group burst into a large room. Bakura almost gagged as a vile stench hit him, and he turned to the guards, covering his nose loosely with his hand until he could grow accustomed to the smell. "What the hell is _that_?!"

"That," one of them replied – the one Bakura had spared earlier – "Is the smell of the High Priest's dungeons."

Bakura coughed as he inhaled a little too deeply, his stomach turning a loop, and gazed round at the mess on all sides of him in disgust. The vile odour of death pervaded the air itself, seeping into the walls and corrupting the clothes Bakura wore. Dotted about the floor were varying lumps of what Bakura assumed was once human flesh, and he couldn't help noticing the ropes and manacles strewn about the room, as well as various implements that looked as though they'd been created by some of the sickest minds in the known world. The thought that Malik had even been led through here, never mind forced to endure this treatment, was enough to make Bakura's blood boil. "Onward," he growled, his hand dropping away from his face and drawing his blade. His guards followed his lead, their swords drawn almost simultaneously, and Bakura led them across the room.

Sure enough, beyond the next doorway came the expected band of guards - ten of them, by Bakura's reckoning. Bakura didn't have the time nor patience to fight right now though.

"Stand down!" he commanded. "My word is as the Pharaoh's, and you must obey!"

The guards simply stared at him, and a couple sniggered. "Oh really?" one of them taunted. "And why should that bother us?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed. He hated having to take other people's lines, but he had to admit Jou and Honda had done it with some style. "Who did you swear your oath of allegiance to, you fools?"

The reply was monotone and blunt. "Not the Pharaoh."

"...crap."

Bakura swiftly pulled his spare blade out – the weapon he'd been designing in the house, that Yami had ridiculed – and tossed it in the air, passing his first blade to his weaker hand and catching the superior one in his stronger. Battle was inevitable, and he'd be damned if he was going in unprepared.

* * *

Yugi and Yami stood outside the Throne Room doors, the Pharaoh pausing momentarily to calm himself totally. Now of all times, he couldn't risk running on emotion instead of logic and making a bad judgement. He stared up at the mighty wooden entrance, the bronze hinges that stretched almost the width of each door framing some of the most intricate carving in the land, each sectioned area a tale of his ancestors. Tales of war; of justice; of wisdom and bravery adorned the entire surface of each door, but for a small space in the bottom right corner. There, the mighty Pharaoh Yamises was to have his tale told, his legend to be passed down to his children's children and beyond, his name – and so he – immortalised for all time. Running his fingers over the smooth surface, Yami let out a long, calming sigh. This space was his by birthright. He couldn't give it up to Set or anyone else. Every mighty king before him was watching him now, eager to see what had become of their descendant, and he couldn't let them down.

"Yami..."

Yugi's voice came to Yami's ears so softly, it was almost as if he'd merely breathed his name, instead of saying it. Letting his fingers touch the surface once more, stroking it as he turned, the Pharaoh directed his attention to his younger lover, an inquisitive look in his noble eyes. "What is it, Yugi?"

"Yami, there's... I have to tell you something, and it might be my last chance to... but you need to know, I do know who my father is. He's-"

Confused, Yami cut Yugi off mid-sentence. He hadn't heard anything of what Yugi had said after 'my last chance to,' those words instead crashing round in his head like the echo of a pillar fallen in a long-forgotten tomb. "Wait... what do you mean? Why are you talking like you're-"

Sadly, Yugi stepped forward and placed a hand on Yami's shoulder, staring up at him imploringly, silencing the Pharaoh with his gentle touch. For the first time ever, Yami realised just how small Yugi's hands really were. Reaching up, he gently took the limb in his own, softly rubbing the back of it with his thumb. It felt as if he were holding a child's hand, not a God's. The poor boy was so gentle, so frail... All he'd ever wanted was to love Yami. He hadn't wanted any of this. He hadn't wanted to die; to fight; to have to risk his life to see Yami in his rightful place. He'd just wanted what was best for everyone else. And his love for Yami meant that he'd go to any length to see that Yami's people were happy again.

"Just remember, Yami..." Yugi whispered softly, smiling up at his elder with a light sheen in his eyes. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you." As if to seal the vow, Yugi tip-toed up and pressed his lips against Yami's, sighing softly as the Pharaoh's arms instinctively slipped round him in a protective embrace. He slowly lowered himself from his love again, and smiled once more, a determined look in his eyes as a grin crossed his face. "Now let's go get your throne back!"

* * *

Bakura sidestepped the guard's attack with ease. The palace guards were better fighters than these guys, but they had the advantage of numbers. With Malik here, the numbers wouldn't have even remotely posed a problem, but Bakura was currently trying to compensate for the four-man handicap by himself without resorting to bloodshed. As another blade swung wildly through the air, Bakura parried it with his weapon and brought his knee up into the guard's gut, the man having left himself exposed for an easy shot. Winded, he dropped the floor, and Bakura took the opportunity to drive his foot into the side of his head, knocking him out cold. "One down!" he yelled to his men, before quietly cursing under his breath as he narrowly avoided a spear in the face. Stepping back, he snatched at the weapon, battling for supremacy with the guard holding it.

Behind him, he heard a heavy thud as another body dropped to the floor. "Two, sir!" came a voice, before the clang of metal on metal told Bakura that the guard had almost let his defence down too. "Focus!" he yelled, gritting his teeth as the guard he was grappling with began to overpower him, using his weight advantage for extra leverage. "Fuck..." Bakura grunted, his arm muscles beginning the feel the strain as the guard leaned further forward. He could only see one valid escape now... but if it worked in that first rescue effort, maybe a quick bit of possum-play would do the job again.

Bakura allowed his legs to buckle beneath him, holding the spear as he dropped to the floor. The guard, not expecting this, fell with him, which was exactly what Bakura had banked on. With a snake-like motion, his right arm darted across his chest, taking the spear with it and smashing it into the guard's temple. The momentum caused them to rotate, and the two landed next to each other, the guard letting go of the spear as the impact dazed him further.

Clambering to his feet, Bakura dropped both his blades and picked the spear up in two hands. "Fucker!" he yelled, before swinging the spear down and breaking the thick wooden shaft over the back of the guard's head. "And that's three..." Bakura panted, tossing the piece of the shaft he still held aside. Bending down to pick up his new weapon again, leaving his other hand free to act as a fist, Bakura rejoined the battle with a gleeful whoop. 'If you have to fight, you may as well enjoy yourself' Bakura told himself as he drove the pommel of his weapon into the back of an unsuspecting guard's skull. Now that the numbers were equal, the battle would be over very quickly.

* * *

"You guys ties these lot up," Bakura commanded once the last man had fallen. "I don't want them to escape. If they wake up in the meantime, knock them out again."

The guards that stood with him nodded their agreement, but for one who was clutching his shoulder, which looked to be bleeding badly. Bakura observed this for a moment, and added, "One of you sort him out first. The rest of you can get going now."

With that, the thief turned and ran from the room, through the door the guards had been watching. "Malik!" he cried, his legs pumping furiously as he sprinted past cell after empty cell. "Malik, where are you?"

In the corner of one cell, Bakura peripherally caught a form slumped on the floor, and skidded to a stop before turning back and peering through the little window at it. What little clothing the figure had left was bloodied and torn, and his body was covered in bruises and lacerations where he'd been badly treated. He faced the wall, as if deliberately hiding his face, and was curled in the foetal position. Bakura felt his heart sink as he recognised the long, platinum-blonde hair that was fanned across the floor behind the figure.

"Malik!" he cried. "Malik, get up!"

The figure didn't move. Staring, Bakura couldn't even see his chest rising and falling. With a half-wail, half-snarl of frantic worry, Bakura slipped back the bolts on the door and wrenched it open, darting in and scooping the figure up in his arms.

"Malik!" he gasped, shaking the boy lightly. "Malik, wake up!"

Nothing. His chest wasn't moving, and when Bakura placed his cheek over the boy's mouth, he couldn't feel any breaths against it. "No..." he whispered, drawing back and shaking his head softly. "No... he can't be..." Bakura lowered Malik back to the floor and crawled away, shaking his head softly. "Malik... you can't..."

"I guess the bitch couldn't hold out after all."

Immediately, Bakura's vision flashed blood-red. Not even looking at the doorway, where the voice had come from, Bakura reached into his robes, his fingers wrapping round the knife Malik had bought for him – the very knife he had planned to take his own life with earlier – and tugging it out. He'd not wanted to bloody it with the shit that pumped through the veins of these guards, but right now revenge was all that was on his mind. With a yell of rage, Bakura spun round, flinging the knife with deadly accuracy at the hooded figure in the entrance.

A loud crack ensued as the blade pierced the man's sternum, sinking through into his heart. The man stood swaying for a couple of seconds, making a pained, gargled choking sound, before tipping over backwards, his body limp as he crashed to the floor. After that, he didn't even twitch. He was stone dead, right there and then.

Panting his rage away for a couple of seconds, Bakura glowered at the figure before him. The hatred he felt for him was the same as what he'd felt for Tuthmises when he'd had Ryou executed. He wanted to take the body, mutilate it, destroy it, tear it up, burn it, ensure there was _nothing_ left to sustain the man's soul in the afterlife... but he couldn't. That wouldn't achieve anything. It wouldn't bring Malik back.

Bakura, still on his knees, turned to face Malik's body again, crawling over and scooping him up gently, pulling him close against his chest. "Oh, Malik..." he whispered, a tear slipping from his eye. "I'm so sorry... for your father, for this... for everything. I'm so sorry..." At that, Bakura broke down, sobbing into Malik's hair and pulling the prone figure tight against his chest. "I'm so sorry Malik!" he cried out, before turning his head to the heavens, his cheeks two rivers of tears as he pleaded desperately. "What can I do to bring him back? What God should I pray to? What sacrifice should I make? Please, don't take him from me!" Bakura felt his strength seeping from him, and he slumped forward again, cradling Malik's head against his shoulder softly. "Oh Malik..." he whispered. "What can I do to have you back...?"

Unseen to Bakura, one of Malik's eyes cracked open. "Letting me go on top tonight would be a good start..."

Bakura leapt back with a shriek at the unexpected reply, dropping Malik in the process. "Malik!" he cried out, staring wide-eyed at the boy on the floor. "You... You're alive?!"

Wincing, Malik rubbed at his head. "The sudden pain would indicate as much, yes... Great to see you too..."

Bakura gaped at Malik, not believing his eyes. "But... but you weren't... I checked, and... But... you were dead Malik, I checked..."

Malik, with a little effort, pushed himself into a sitting position. "No, you checked I wasn't breathing. Anyone can hold their breath." With a grin, Malik extended an arm out and placed two fingers on the wrist. "Pulse, Bakura. No-one can lie about that."

Still dumbfounded, Bakura stared at Malik. "You're... really alive..." he whispered, as if testing how the words sounded to him. Suddenly, his mouth broke into a wide grin, and he flung himself at Malik with a cry of delight. "You're really alive!"

Laughing, Malik hugged the tomb robber with all his might, squeezing the breath out of him. "Gods, I've missed you..." he whispered, not easing up. "I've missed you so much..."

Gasping a weak laugh, Bakura returned Malik's death-grip, nuzzling his head against the boy's chest. "I've missed you too," he whispered. Smiling, he lifted his head and softly pressed his lips to Malik's, never so glad to have the boy in his arms in his life. "Now come on. We have to go help Yami."

"...why?" Malik asked, frowning.

"Because he's taking his throne back!"

* * *

The throne room doors swung open with a mighty crash, and the Pharaoh's booming voice filled the air once more.  
"Set!"

* * *

[1] Bastet (Bast) – Ancient Egyptian cat goddess of the sun. Daughter of Ra, renowned for her strength and agility. Also known for her ferocity when defending her father.

* * *

Reviews for a hungry author?


	15. Final Confrontation

Note: In this chapter, there are references to Set and Seth. Seth is actually pronounced 'Set-h,' which is how they can tell the difference. Please also note that the magic words and powers used in this chapter are _not_ examples of Ancient Egyptian magic. The spell is my own, and the powers are simply artistic licence.

Ficcu time!

* * *

The High Priest barely glanced up from the floor as the doors to the throne room burst open, a smirk crossing his lips as he coolly gazed the length of the massive hall.

"_Set!"_

"Impressive, Pharaoh," Set smugly replied, not even raising his head to face his foe. "Top marks for the dramatic entrance, I have to admit. Unfortunately, you score nothing for preparation. You have no idea what you're about to come up against."

"_Silence!"_ Yami bellowed, marching into the room, Yugi striding swiftly by his side with Honda and Jou following close behind. "I know exactly what I am up against Set! The greatest heretic this land has ever known, and a man who has condemned himself to an eternity in Duat with Am-heh!" Yami's eyes burned a passionate, hateful glare into the figure sat on the throne before him. "You are a man with no future, with no hope of salvation and with nowhere left to run. Your time has come Set, and it shall be by my hand you fall, I swear it. Stand down now, and I may let you live. Fight me, and you shall find your death."

For the first time, Set stirred, shifting so he sat in an upright position, exaggerating the noble stance Yami would take when he sat on the throne as a way of mocking his challenger. "That's where you're wrong, Pharaoh," he answered coldly, arrogantly. "I think you'll soon find I'm much more than that."

Yami's eyes narrowed. He didn't know what Set meant, but he didn't intend to let it faze him. "I won't listen to your mind games, Set," he growled, stepping closer to the throne. "Stand down now, or you'll face my wrath."

Set glowered distastefully at Yami, a thin sneer crossing his lips. "Take once step closer, _Pharaoh,"_ – Set spat this word, as if it left a putrid taste in his mouth – "And you'll face more than just my wrath. You will face the wrath of the gods, a fury that even your pathetic little fuck-puppet couldn't dream of stopping."

"_ENOUGH!"_ Yami roared, his anger flaring as Set referred to Yugi in such a derogatory manner. "I will hear no more from you, Set! Your time is now!"

Set smirked as Yami began to run at him, closing the distance rapidly. "I warned you," he stated flatly, before standing and raising his arms. "Now you shall feel my power."

For but the briefest of moments, Yami could have sworn he saw a huge black shape looming up behind Set. Before he could discern what it was, though, it disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived. The next instant, Yami froze mid-step, his eyes bulging in shock as a piercing whistling noise sliced through his head, grating at his sanity and blocking all his thoughts, his abdominal muscles all clenching and contracting and twisting at the same time. Unable to fight, Yami found himself doubled over in pain, dropping to the floor as he clutched at his head, writhing in agony as his muscles tightened even further.

"Pathetic," Set taunted, beginning to make his way down the steps from the throne. "_That_ is the best you could do?" He continued on his way across the floor to Yami, his smirk widening. "It's such a shame that I should have to waste my power on one so weak."

"Enough, Seth!"

Set turned his attention irritably away from Yami, glaring at Yugi, who was moving swiftly to stand between his lover and the High Priest. "It's not fair that a mortal should fight a god, Seth!" Yugi cried out, blocking the path to the Pharaoh as best as he could. "I challenge you instead!"

Through his wall of pain, Yami caught but a glimpse of what Yugi said. "S... Seth?" he groaned feebly, grimacing as his muscles knotted even more fiercely. "S-so, that's..."

'So he knows...'Seth scowled, glowering at Yugi, his eyes raining hatred upon the smaller God. "Be silent, son-of-Horus," he spat, the dark aura rising behind him once more. "I will slay you as well, if I have to."

"You have no hope, Seth! If my father can defeat you, then I can too!" Yugi declared defiantly, fixing Seth with a determined look. "Good and light will always triumph over your darkness!"

"Wrong!" Seth growled, beginning to bear down on Yugi. "I should have defeated your father! I should be the one the Pharaohs descend from! _I_ would be the ruler of the two lands, if it wasn't for my mother interfering!" (1)

"So that's what this is all about? You can't take your defeat like a man?" Yugi returned, standing his ground. "You lost out and can't take it?" Yugi snorted softly. "That's pathetic. You're making all these people suffer, and you're causing all this hurt, just over a fit of jealousy? What happened to the days when you'd protect Ra's ark from Apep? (2) What happened to the days when people would actually respect you?"

With a bellow of rage, Seth darting forward, striking Yugi across the temple sharply. The boy fell to the floor with a cry of pain, and at once Jou and Honda began to rush forward to his aid. A quick gesture from Seth, however, soon halted any rescue efforts, the two guards being flung backwards like straw in the wind. "I wouldn't get involved, if I were you," Seth growled, not even facing the two. "You've proved useful so far, and that has been what has kept you alive. Don't test me now." Soft groans were all that answered him, and he once more focussed his attention on the small boy before him. "You're even more pathetic than your father," he snorted softly, kicking Yugi harshly in the ribs, sending him rolling across the floor. "At least he put up a fight."

Choking slightly, Yugi pushed himself up to his hands and knees. "You forget, Seth..." he gasped softly. "I have something with me that my father didn't have."

"Oh really?" the God incarnate scoffed. "And what would that be? Your precious Pharaoh? The palace guards?"

A small spark twinkled in Yugi's eye as he replied. "Not just them."

Right on cue, two white-tipped streaks cannoned into Seth, knocking the God sideways with a cry of surprise. The three figures tumbled to the floor in a heap, Seth crying out in pain this time as one of the two bit him, and the two new arrivals swiftly began to try to pin the god down. "I hope you've got a plan Yugi!" Bakura called from under the sleeve of Seth's robe as he grappled with his arm. "I ain't doing this for nothing!"

Climbing up to his feet, Yugi brushed the dirt off his hands, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, allowing his mind to drift into an open, calm state. Trying to ignore all else around him, he made a pyramid shape with his hands, and began quietly chanting.

"An corp lor!"

Seth's eyes flashed wide as he recognised the incantation. _'Banish the darkness!'_

"In vas mani lor!"  
'_Bring forth the light!'_

With a bellow of rage, Seth created a forceful aura about him, flinging it out and throwing Bakura and Malik off with it. He turned his attention to Yugi once more, intent on silencing the boy permanently. He hadn't had any idea that Yugi knew _that_ spell.

"Ex vas corp! Rel vas jux-"

Yugi screamed in agony as a bolt of raw energy struck him in the chest, falling over backwards and landing heavily on the floor, gasping. Seth merely smirked, panting slightly from his brief scrap with the two thieves. "Amazing, these mortal bodies," he noted, staring at his hand in admiration. "They channel power so well." Smirking, Seth strode over to Yugi, grabbing his hair and hauling him up onto his knees. "I wonder how many times they can die before they don't come back..."

"You won't find out."

As Seth instinctively turned to see who'd spoken, he felt a fist land solidly on the underside of his chin, his head jerking back with the force before he too toppled roughly to the floor. Yami quickly knelt down and caught Yugi, laying the boy down gently. "Are you okay, my little one?"

Yugi's eyes opened weakly, and he forced a smile. "This is for you, Yami," he murmured, avoiding Yami's question. "I swore I'd show you how much I love you... This battle's for you."

Groaning, Yugi rolled over onto his front, climbing up onto his hands and knees to catch his breath back. Quickly checking the boy was able to take his own weight, Yami stood again, turning to face Seth, who was still on the ground.

"How...?" the god asked, stunned. "How did you escape my spell?"

This time, it was Yami's turn to smirk. "You lost your focus, Seth. Did Yugi scare you a bit too much?"

Seth scowled fiercely at Yami. How _dare_ he mock him? How _dare_ he suggest he'd been scared? Seth couldn't begin to put form to how angry he was, a loud growl emanating from his throat as his only means of venting his rage. _"Silence!"_ he roared, a glow beginning to form round his hand. "I'll settle this now, once and for all!"

Yami's eyes grew wide as he saw Seth's hand coming up, almost as if in slow motion. He felt himself beginning to step back, as if to turn and move out of the way, but he wasn't in control of his body any more. His body was moving of its own will, and he was just a passenger. He felt like his legs were made of lead, and as if the whole world was moving slowly. As he felt his body beginning to turn, he couldn't take his eyes off Seth's hand, which was still slowly rising. He was a dead man. He knew it. Seth wouldn't miss, and he wouldn't be able to take the hit.

Yami felt himself falling.

The next thing Yami was consciously aware of, he was on the floor, his body on top of Yugi's as a shield, and Seth was cursing loudly and holding onto his hand. Looking round the room, Yami saw Bakura stood with his arm outstretched as if he'd just thrown something, looking rather pleased with himself. "Damn it Pharaoh," Bakura growled, a wide grin on his face. "You shouldn't give him chances like that. I might actually miss one day."

Turning his attention back to Seth, Yami stared in muted surprise at the dagger sticking through Seth's hand. How Bakura had managed to react that quickly, he'd never know.

"Yami..."

Yami looked down at Yugi, who he was still gently cradling. "What is it?"

"I have to finish my spell... keep him occupied as long as you all can..."

Studying Yugi's face for a moment, Yami nodded, clambering to his feet and darting straight toward the High Priest. He just prayed Yugi's spell wouldn't take too long.

Yugi pushed himself up so he was in a kneeling position, sat down on his heels, and made the pyramid shape with his hands once more, clearing his mind again and chanting quietly. "An corp lor! In vas mani lor!"

'_Banish the darkness! Bring forth the light!'_

Seth wrenched the dagger out of his hand, cursing loudly and flinging it aside. He had to stop Yugi at all costs.

"Ex vas corp!"  
'_Remove this evil!'_

Yami charged into Seth, driving his shoulder into Seth's gut, winding the God. With a loud 'oof!' Seth fell back to the floor once more, Yami doing his best to keep him down by any means he could.

"Rel vas jux vas mani!"  
'_Bring us safety from danger!'_

Growling loudly, Seth flooded dark energy through his body, charging it into his fist and ramming it into Yami's stomach. With a loud gasp, eyes bulging, Yami froze where he was, choking loudly, almost doubled up in pain once more. With an irritated growl, Seth shoved the Pharaoh off of him, where he lay choking on the floor, groaning. "Bakura... stop him..."

As Seth stood and looked up, he found himself being pounced on by Bakura and Malik once again.

"Kal nox xen an..."  
_'Be gone, poisonous beast...'_

Crying out in desperation and rage, knowing Yugi didn't have very long to go, Seth tried to fling Bakura and Malik off him. Instead, he found them both clinging to an arm each, their legs wrapped around his, trying to hold him down. "Fools!" he bellowed, charging his body again. "I'll show you!"

"I don't think so!"

Stars swam before Seth's vision as Malik's forehead connected violently with his temple, causing him to crash to the floor again.

"Kal Seth an..."  
_'Be gone, Seth...' _

With a roar of outright fury, Seth flooded and swiftly discharged his body again, causing both thieves to jerk abruptly off of him, their veins feeling as though fire were pumping through them. Clambering to his feet, staggering as he caught his balance, weakened by the amount of energy he was using, Seth glared at the small form knelt not ten cubits from him. "You're mine, Yugi!"

"Kal por mani ylem..."  
_'Return to your home...' _

As Seth prepared to charge another bolt – the final bolt – two faces appeared in his field of vision, one with flaxen-blonde hair and the other with mud-brown hair, a look in their eyes that _promised_ pain. "I don't think so," they both chorused in unison.

All Seth could do in the time he had was stare dumbfounded as two fists rushed simultaneously at his face.

"Ort sanct xen!"  
_'Trouble us no more!' _

A soft white glow filled the space between Yugi's hands, and the boy slowly opened his eyes, the violet orbs sparkling brightly in the radiance as never before. A small smile crossed his lips, and he slowly spread his hands apart, shaping the light into a ball and standing, guiding it slowly up into the air. "It is done..."

Groaning softly, Yami pushed himself up from the floor, groggily lifting his head as he noticed the extra light in the room. His eyes slowly came into focus as he noticed the source. "Yugi..."

The addressed turned to face Yami, and walked carefully across to him, kneeling down beside him. "This is my destiny, Yami..." he whispered gently. "A sacrifice, that you may have your empire back."

Yami's eyes widened, and he sat up quickly, almost toppling back over in his haste, and clutched desperately at Yugi's ragged clothing. "Yugi, don't!"

Without a word, Yugi knelt down again and pressed his lips to Yami's one final, sweet time. "I'll always love you..."

The white glow between Yugi's hands began to spread, and soon filled the room. Unable to help himself, no matter how he fought it, Yami felt himself slowly dropping into a deep sleep.

The last thing he saw was a tear trickle down Yugi's face.

* * *

"Pharaoh! Pharaoh!"

Yami felt someone gently shaking him as he came to, blinking softly as the light assailed his eyes. Groaning, he lifted his head from the stone floor, pushing himself halfway up and blearily trying to remember what had happened. "Yugi..." he murmured softly.

Yugi! Yami suddenly pushed himself up, jumping to his feet and staring wildly round the room, looking for his lover. "Yugi! Where are you?" he cried out in a panic.

He felt a pair of hands grip his shoulders, and turned to see the bruised face of his High Priest studying him. "Are you okay, my lord?"

Yami nearly attacked Set there and then, but for the look in his eyes. He was genuinely concerned, and that haunting malice that had been there was gone. "Set...?" he enquired gently. "Is it really you?"

The High Priest nodded, bowing low. "Yugi freed me, my lord," he explained. "Seth possessed me at the execution, and made me watch all the wrongs he inflicted upon everyone ever since that day. I cannot begin to apologise enough for the suffering I have caused you and your people."

"Where is Yugi now?" Yami demanded, looking frantically about the room again. He had to be nearby. He _had_ to be. He _had_-

"My lord..." Set began, averting his gaze. "...look outside..."

Frowning, Yami ran to the window Bakura and the others were stood by, staring outside in the hope of finding Yugi. Instead, he found a sight almost alien to him. "...rain? Rain in Egypt?"

"It's not rain, my lord..." Set replied regretfully. "Look at the sky."

Hesitantly, afraid of what he might find, Yami slowly looked up, gasping at what he saw. Spinning round, he turned to face Set again. "It rains, but there are no clouds! What's going on?" he demanded.

Again, Set averted his gaze, fumbling with the belt of his robes. "...that's not rain, my lord..." he repeated quietly. "Those are tears. The Gods themselves are crying, my lord."

Set swallowed thickly, his voice suddenly sounding hoarse as he spoke once more. "Yugi is with them again..."

* * *

1 – This is a direct reference to the Osiris legend. If you don't know it, go find it out – you'd be amazed at how badly most people misunderstand the Egyptian deities. Like that they aren't immortal or all-powerful, for one.

2 – In early Egyptian legends, Seth used to stand at the front of Ra's ark with a harpoon as it crossed the sky, protecting Ra from the serpent-god Apep. It was only later in the Egyptian reign (at least from the 20th dynasty onward) that Seth became an evil figure.

* * *

End

* * *

Watch out for part three, coming to a PC near you in the not-too-distant future! Add me to author alerts to get an email for that and all my other updates!

::hides from angry mob:: Please review?


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